Illinois residents might be interested to hear that the maternal grandmother of a child whose father is accused of murdering her mother has secured custody of the child and is seeking child support. The 6-year-old girl's grandmother, who lives in Towson, Maryland, reportedly filed her petition on Aug. 13, and a hearing is slated for Sept. 18.
The child's father is a 64-year-old researcher for the University of Pittsburgh, and her mother was the head of women's neurology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center before she died. The 41-year-old woman had reportedly fallen ill, and after three days of the illness, she died. Blood tests after her death revealed that cyanide poisoning was the cause of her death. The father was charged in the incident. Therefore, the child's grandmother received custody of her, but that doesn't discharge the father of his child support obligations.
According to police investigators, the man was charged with his wife's murder in part because they discovered that he had used a university credit card to purchase more than half-pound of cyanide two days before the woman became ill. Additionally, the man reportedly try to cover up the cyanide poisoning and delay her care; he allegedly instructed her to drink a creatine supplement to help her conceive a child even though creatine has not been proven to increase chances of conception.
Child support and custody do not always concern the parents alone; in many situations, grandparents may assume the role of guardian, particularly when the child's parents are deceased or incarcerated. A family law attorney may represent grandparents wishing to obtain custody or child support from one parent and demonstrate that they are the most well-equipped to care for the child.
Source: CBS News, "Maternal grandmother seeks child support from Pa. researcher accused in wife's cyanide killing", Stephanie Slifer, August 13, 2013
