BAD INFLUENCE
The dark story of YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer who ‘re-homed’ their autistic, adopted son and then vanished
Read on to learn how internet sleuths played a part in uncovering the truth
WITHIN a few minutes of sitting down in front of the camera, Myka and James Stauffer’s entire influencer empire collapsed when they revealed they had “re-homed” their autistic, adopted son.
The Stauffers were “family vloggers”, filming and uploading the mundane parts of their lives with their four children, Kova, Jaka, Radley and Onyx, to YouTube for 700,000 subscribers to watch.
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But in May 2020, the couple shared a video explaining their reasons for finding a new home for their son Huxley, who they had adopted from China three years prior.
The couple was cancelled immediately and then disappeared from public life.
The uproar has now been revisited in an HBO docuseries called An Update on Our Family, which explores what really happened and includes clips from Myka’s now-deleted YouTube videos.
Between 2016 and 2020, Myka and James documented the journey of welcoming Huxley into their family - including choosing him, raising money, and filming the day he arrived.
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According to , the Stauffers used a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for Huxley’s adoption from China. The couple reportedly earned $800, while they said the adoption cost them $42,000.
In a YouTube video posted before the adoption, the couple said they were aware of Huxley's autism diagnosis, and said they were willing to learn how to parent a child with special needs.
Myka added: “I don’t know what his medical diagnosis is gonna look like. How much schooling will he need? Will he need a little bit more hands on? Will he be delayed?
The mother told her subscribers they “would love” him “no matter what state” he came to them in and then strongly stated: “If anything, my child is not returnable.”
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Their inspiring adoption story brought them a new era of success, with their adoption video of Huxley being watched by more than five million people.
And this was just the beginning; personal moments such as Huxley’s first Christmas, bonding with new siblings, and family days out, were shared online for the world to see.
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Internet sleuths got suspicious
The Stauffers were a family who provided daily updates about their life and Huxley, so when the updates stopped, their followers noticed.
Huxley no longer appeared in new social media posts, and the influencers' channel was flooded with comments asking where he was.
, armchair detectives had even gone to James’ car-themed YouTube channel, “Stauffer Garage,” where they noticed Huxley’s car seat was no longer visible.
They shared this revelation in the comments section and then realised that anyone asking about Huxley’s car seat or his whereabouts, had their comments deleted.
Then, Myka and James changed their videos with the toddler from public to private so any content featuring Huxley was no longer viewable by the public.
It was only a month later that Myka and James confirmed their adoption of Huxley was dissolved.
“Re-homing” Huxley
After months of speculation, Myka and James confessed in a video uploaded to their YouTube channel in May 2020, to “re-homing” Huxley.
Looking into the camera, James said: “With international adoption, sometimes there are unknowns and things that are not transparent on files.
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“Once Huxley came home, there was a lot more special needs that we weren't aware of, and that we were not told.”
The father explained how “hard” it was to “hear from the medical professionals”, adding “a lot of their feedback” was “upsetting”.
"We never wanted to be in this position. And we've been trying to get his needs met and help him out as much as possible ... we truly love him,” James remarked.
The mother of four stressed how much she loved Huxley; they just realised they couldn’t meet his needs.
She continued through tears: “There's not an ounce of our body that doesn't love Huxley with all of our being.
“There wasn't a minute that I didn't try our hardest and I think what [James] is trying to say is that after multiple assessments, after multiple evaluations, numerous medical professionals have felt that he needed a different fit [for] his medical needs. He needed more.”
The influencer said “the last couple months have been the hardest thing [she] could have ever imagined”, adding she felt “like a failure”.
The video ended with the couple sharing an emotional plea for fans to have “grace” with them whilst they navigate the future.
Myka concluded: “We are still struggling. We are going to be heartbroken for a very long time.”
The couple’s lawyers, Thomas Taneff and Taylor Sayers, : "We are privy to this case and given the facts at hand, we feel this was the best decision for Huxley.
"In coming to know our clients we know they are a loving family and are very caring parents that would do anything for their children."
An investigation launches
In June 2020, into the well-being of both Huxley and the couple’s four biological children.
The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office said it received “several enquiries regarding the welfare” of the then-four-year-old, and in a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson said their “primary concern [was] for the well-being of this child as well as the other children in the household”.
One month later, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office announced that it would not be filing charges against the Stauffers.
The Stauffer’s final say…
Myka published a lengthy statement on her Instagram account on June 24, 2020, and has not been heard from since.
Myka's Instagram statement in full
Posted to her Instagram account @mykastauffer on June 24, 2020.
I want to first off apologize for the uproar and take full responsibility for all of the hurt that I have caused. This decision has caused so many people heart break and I am sorry for letting down so many women that looked up to me as a mother. I’m sorry for the confusion, and pain I have caused, and I am sorry for not being able to tell more of my story from the beginning. I could never have anticipated the incidents which occurred on a private level to ever have happened, and I was trying my best to navigate the hardest thing I have ever been through. I apologize for being so naive when I started the adoption process, I was not selective or fully equipped or prepared. I received one day of watching at home online video training and getting my Hague adoption certification which was required by my accredited adoption agency. For me, I needed more training. I can’t say I wish this never happened because I’m still so glad Huxley is here and getting all of the help he needs. I also know that even though he is happier in his new home and doing better that he still experienced trauma. I wanted to help so bad I was willing to bring home any child that needed me. For this I was naive, foolish and arrogant. I wish so bad I would have been more prepared and done more. I wish the decision to disrupt never had to be made. Adoption and all special needs are amazing and I have a ton of respect for every adoptee, adoption parent, and special needs parent. I look up to you in a million ways. And I’m sorry for hurting the community in any way. Lastly to debunk a couple complete rumors, we did not adopt a child to gain wealth. While we did receive a small portion of money from videos featuring Huxley and his journey, every penny and much more went back into his care. Getting Huxley the care and services he needed was very expensive and we made sure he got every service, and resource we could possibly find. Secondly, we are not under any type of investigation. I’m hoping to share more from my side of the story soon. And lastly I’m so sorry for letting you down. I also want to mention that moms need a safe place to ask for help when they are struggling. No questions asked. We love Huxley and know that this was the right decision for him and his future. Praying that Huxley only has the best future in the entire world.
It’s not known if the couple are still together since their 2020 controversy - neither have posted on personal social media pages since June 2020.
The YouTube channel they ran is no longer public, but James’ ‘Stauffer Garage’ channel with 1.3 million followers is still active and regularly posts new videos.
Where is Huxley now?
In their final video, Myka explained the adoption agency had helped place Huxley with his “forever family”.
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According to reports, authorities confirmed the child - who has been renamed and lives his life in private - was “happy” in his new home, even admitting the young boy was quick to call his new mother “momma”.
Myka added: “He's thriving, he's doing really well, and his new mommy has medical, professional training.”
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