08/04/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, USA // Tara Monks // Tara Monks
North Huntingdon, PA – The parents of a young mother who was killed in September 2009 are seeking custody of their granddaughter who has been under the care of foster parents since she was three months old, as reported by The Pittsburgh Channel.
Megan Konopka, 21 at the time of her death, was stabbed and strangled in Bradford in September. She was eight months pregnant at the time and her first child was in the care of a foster family. According to The Pittsburgh Channel, Konopka suffered from mental disabilities.
The parents of Megan, Dennis and Carolyn Konopka, of North Huntingdon, did not know Megan had a first child. They claim they did not find out about their granddaughter until Megan’s death.
After burying their daughter, the Konopkas filed for custody. To their dismay, the judge overseeing the case left the girl with her foster parents and gave the Konopkas weekend visitation rights.
The little girl, whose name is Michelle, is a toddler now. Her foster parents want to adopt her.
The Konopkas claim they have spent $5,000 in legal fees already and cannot afford the additional $25,000 in costs that will come with fighting the foster parents over custody. They also say they do not understand why they should have to fight for custody of the child.
Dennis Konopka was quoted, “We want this grandchild. It’s ours. It’s not the foster parents’ (child), it’s our grandchild.”
The Pittsburgh Channel sought the input from a family law attorney in the area who said, “I think the biggest problem is, how do you justify removing the child from an already established good environment and taking a risk of putting them in a completely different environment and hoping it works out better?”
The Konopkas claim they are being punished for the mistakes and sins of others.
The ruling on the little girl’s adoption could come as early as Friday, July 13, 2010, and it is likely to rule in favor of the foster parents.
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