While 90 Day Fiancé fans never really need to look beyond the TLC mothership series or its plethora of TV and streaming spinoffs to bear witness to major drama, everyone is generally aware that the cameras couldn’t possibly capture all the chaos that stars and former stars have caused and suffered over the years. Paul Staehle is at the center of the latest problematic situation, as he and three-year-old son Pierre (whom Paul shares with his now-ex Karine Martins) were reported missing ahead of Independence Day weekend, sparking kidnapping allegations among the public. Now, thankfully, Staehle and son have returned home to the Louisville, Kentucky area, with police confirming they’re both safe and sound, even if the incident may not be fully resolved.
In the aftermath of the public police bulletin calling Paul Staehle and Pierre missing, the former 90 Day Fiancé star initially spoke out and denied any kidnapping accusations, claiming he was traveling around the country looking for work since early June, and had taken Pierre with him to alleviate the child’s separation anxiety. Staehle stated his intention was to return to Louisville with the quickness, and it appears he followed up on that without further incident, as he told TMZ that he met with his parents at a park in the Louisville area on Saturday, July 2.
After that point, the parents reportedly reached out to officials from Child Protective Services, who retrieved Pierre and brought him to a foster home where he was reunited with his one-year-old brother Ethan. A representative with the Louisville Police Department confirmed that Pierre was indeed found and in safe hands, and by Sunday, the Missing Person’s report was officially closed.
The whole incident was made all the more complicated by the fact that neither Paul nor Karine Martins have custody over their children. (To that end, Staehle stated he chose to drop Pierre off with his parents specifically so that he wouldn’t be confronted by anyone from CPS. ) That court ruling stemmed from videos depicting the former couple’s abusive relationship, with footage going back more than a decade, when they were first brought into the 90 Day Fiancé franchise. But it’s also alleged that one or both of their children were present for their heightened conflicts, thus the custody removal.
While it’s not entirely clear what will happen next with Paul Staehle’s parental situation, he says that he’s still in the midst of processing the legal drama that he and Karine Martins are going through regarding both Pierre and Ethan. A possible silver lining is that his parents are aiming to gain full custody of the two boys, which will be handled in a family court situation, though it’s also unclear how that will turn out.
TMZ reported previously that it was after the custody issues happened that divorce papers were reportedly filed. But as it goes with everything else involved here, we’ll have to wait to see how things shake out. Suffice to say, it won’t be happening on a TLC series.
90 Day Fiancé airs Sunday nights on TLC at 8:00 p.m. ET. Head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are popping up soon.
