Details About The Messy Custody Battle Over Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell's Daughter

"Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" was a guilty pleasure because of the way "Mama" June Shannon and her family embraced every redneck stereotype. Mud wrestling, a pet pig, an indoor slip-n-slide, secondhand Christmas gifts — the show had it all, plus cute catchwords like "sassified" and "beautimous."  But in recent years, the family's life has been anything but lighthearted. On December 9, Shannon's daughter Anna Cardwell — known as "Chickadee" on the show — died at age 29. She had been diagnosed just 10 months earlier with adrenal cancer that had already spread to other areas of her body. 

The loss was devastating for Shannon and her three surviving daughters: Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon, Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird, and former child beauty pageant star Alana Thompson, whose popularity on "Toddlers & Tiaras" led to the family's fame. Cardwell's two young daughters, Kaitlyn and Kylee, are now motherless — and if that wasn't heartbreaking enough, Kylee also turned 8 on the day Cardwell died. 

Now, the family drama is centering around 11-year-old Kaitlyn. While sister Kylee is the biological child of Cardwell's ex-husband Michael Cardwell, Kaitlyn's father is reportedly out of the picture, leaving her without a legal guardian. After Cardwell's death, Kylee went to live with her father, and Shannon obtained emergency guardianship of her oldest grandchild, per TMZ. She is reportedly seeking to have the arrangement made permanent, while Michael has petitioned to become Kaitlyn's legal caretaker. Thus began what threatens to be an unpleasant custody battle in the midst of the grief.

The U.S. Sun reports both Mama June Shannon and Michael Cardwell have filed petitions in a Georgia court, each asking to be named permanent guardian of Anna Cardwell's older daughter, Kaitlyn. (Kaitlyn's last name has never been identified.) Shannon's petition was filed December 18, explaining that Anna and Kaitlyn had been living with her about a month prior. "Since the mother's passing, child has remained in the care, custody and control of Petitioner," and that June knew of no one else "that would have standing to seek custody of the child," the documents declare. 

In fact, Michael had filed for custody just the day before, claiming he would be a more appropriate guardian for his ex's child. The papers claim June has been an "inconsistent" part of Kaitlyn's young life, whereas Michael "engaged in consistent caretaking of the child and established a bonded and dependent relationship with the child" over the years, even after he and Anna split in 2017. He also argues he has paid for Kaitlyn's schooling and other expenses without expecting anything in return. 

It appears the two are the only family members seeking to raise Kaitlyn. Michael's petition asserts her alleged biological father has never proven his paternity and has never been a part of Kaitlyn's life. Some months before her death, Anna had married boyfriend Eldridge Toney, but he has not expressed any indication of wanting to be his stepdaughter's guardian. 

Mama June Shannon has an infamously rocky rep as a mom that may hurt her chances in court. Her oldest daughter, the late Anna Cardwell, lived with her grandmother for more than a decade, and only returned to her mother's house when she became pregnant as a teen. (RadarOnline alleges June only offered to take in Anna so her pregnancy would become part of the "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" storyline.) Just a few years later, Shannon was arrested for drug possession and sentenced to rehab and community service. This cost her the custody of her youngest child, Alana Thompson, who has been raised ever since by big sister Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird.. 

The "Road to Redemption"/"Family Crisis" series has chronicled June's slow and painful efforts to reconcile with her daughters. The family finally seemed to be on the right track when she married Justin Stroud in February 2023. All four girls were there to give her away; Shannon told People, "This was the first time the family had all been together since 2014." Just weeks later, Anna Cardwell was diagnosed with advanced cancer, and June moved back to Georgia to help care for her in her final months. 

Now it's up to the judge to decide young Kaitlyn's fate. Has Mama June truly "redeemed" herself enough to be a good parent to her preteen granddaughter? Or would Kaitlyn be better off living with her sister and the man who's been like a father to her?