'American Idol' Finalist Syesha Mercado Reunited With Newborn

Bradenton FL

23 August, 2021

10:29 AM

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MANATEE COUNTY, FL — After having her newborn daughter, Ast, taken from her by child welfare officials nearly two weeks ago, "American Idol" finalist Syesha Mercado has been reunited with her baby. Her partner, Tyron Deener, shared a video about the reunion to Mercado's Instagram account. "Ast is home," he said in an emotional video recorded from the back of a car as they drove home from their regaining custody of their daughter. "Ast is home. We have Ast with us." Deener added, "As a dad and husband and for someone who loves the people, thank you for being here unconditionally…It means everything." The infant was taken from her parents Aug. 11 by Manatee County sheriff's deputies who stopped them while driving for a welfare check. They insisted on taking the baby to a hospital for a checkup. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Syesha (@syesha) The couple's 18-month-old son, Amen'Ra, was previously taken into custody by the Florida Department of Children and Families and put into foster care in March amid allegations that he was malnourished. They're still fighting for his return. The toddler was taken from his parents after they brought him to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg to receive fluids. Amen'Ra was breastfed, but Mercado's milk supply decreased because she was pregnant at the time, she wrote in a Change.org petition calling for officials to reunite the parents with their toddler. He refused to drink from a bottle or sippy cup, so the parents brought him to the hospital Feb. 25 for additional fluids. The hospital wanted to keep their son for observation. On March 11, armed officers from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and a child protective investigator from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office took Amen'Ra into custody at the hospital, claiming his parents refused to give him a B12 shot, which isn't true, Mercado said. They placed him into foster care two weeks later. Though they're happy to have been reunited with their newborn daughter, Deener said, "We still got work to do to get Ra back." Like what you're reading? Invite a friend to subscribe to free Bradenton newsletters and real-time email alerts. The father added, "We respect the process. We respect the courts. We respect everybody's position, but wrong is wrong. Soon, Ra will be home." Mercado and Deneer have rallied the Broadway singer's fans and the community for support as they battle to reunite their family. They've raised more than $400,000 for legal fees through a GoFundMe campaign and more than 150,000 people have signed the Change.org petition. GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.