South Carolina Couple Responds To Battle Over Custody Of Baby Veronica

Matt and Melanie Capobianco say they've been waiting for a homecoming that's never happened.

Thursday, August 8th 2013, 9:39 pm

By: News On 6


Dusten Brown hasn't given up the fight for his daughter, Veronica.

Attorneys for Brown and the Cherokee Nation will make their case next Wednesday in a South Carolina court. Brown is fighting that court's immediate transfer order, giving custody of Veronica to the couple who have been trying to adopt her since Brown gained custody in 2011.

Brown isn't talking; he's in Iowa, training with the National Guard.

But the couple on the other side of the custody tug-of-war is speaking out for the first time in months.

Matt and Melanie Capobianco say they've been waiting for a homecoming that's never happened.

"We were hopeful we would be seeing her on Sunday," Melanie said. "We brought some toys and pictures and things like that. The time was just rolling by - 3 o'clock came and went, 4 o'clock came and went - on and on and on."

8/6/2013 Related Story: South Carolina Judge Orders Immediate Transfer Of Baby Veronica

"It's just sad. The whole thing is just sad," Matt said.

The couple hoped the court's immediate transfer order would be the end of the fight over Veronica.

Veronica's biological father, Dusten Brown, is working with the Cherokee Nation to fight the transfer in court.

"We don't think it needs to be dragged out any further. This is the end of the road," Melanie said.

The Capobiancos say that road has been rocky enough, and they're willing to have law enforcement step in.

"She's unlawfully being kept from us. What would any parent do in that situation?" Melanie said.

When Sunday's reunion didn't happen, the couple was worried Brown had run off with Veronica.

That's not the case. She's staying in Green Country with her step-mom and grandparents, while Brown trains with the National Guard.

The Capobiancos say they won't close the door on Veronica's relationship with her relatives in Oklahoma.

"I'm open to that until the very end," Melanie said. "We hope, in the future, that there can be contact and all the people who love her can be a part of her life."

We're told federal prosecutors are in talks about whether to involve law enforcement with Veronica's transfer.

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

August 8th, 2013

March 22nd, 2024

March 14th, 2024

February 9th, 2024

Top Headlines

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024