What Was on Myka Stauffer's Deleted Footage? YouTube Clip Revealed to Be of Adopted Son with Duct-Taped Hand

• Myka and James Stauffer’s YouTube followers were upset when they discovered a deleted video of their adopted son Huxley wearing duct tape on his thumb
• Viewers have already called out the Stauffers for making the toddler wear a thumb protector after adopting him from China, but the parents claimed it was a medically necessary measure to stop his thumb-sucking habit
• The found footage of Huxley — who has been diagnosed with autism — has prompted people to speak out against influencers, to respond with conspiracy theories and even to complain to the Stauffers’ local sheriff’s office.

YouTube followers of Myka and James Stauffer believed the couple was hiding something when they left out a video of their adopted son wearing duct tape on his thumb.

In December 2017, the Stauffers shared a video of Huxley’s anxiety about food after bringing him home from China two months earlier. Myka immediately deleted and re-uploaded the vlog, but the “new” version was about 20 seconds shorter than the original post.

Suspicious viewers took it upon themselves to investigate what was cut from the revised video, with many alarmed by the discovery of footage of Huxley’s thumb wrapped in duct tape. This appeared to be a preventative measure taken to prevent the boy from sucking his thumb, and other YouTubers have had their say on Huxley’s apparent treatment.

Premiering on January 15 on Max, the new documentary series of the Vox Media studio News about our family explores how the evidence of Huxley’s makeshift thumb guard gave viewers significant reason to distrust the Stauffers, especially after they suddenly stopped featuring their adopted child in vlogs.

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Myka and James Stauffer.

Myka Stauffer/Instagram

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As several conspiracy theories circulated on social media, people even called in complaints to the couple’s local sheriff’s office.

Prior to the erased duct tape incident, Myka and James also faced backlash over other videos showing Huxley wearing a thumb guard.

Once again, viewers questioned the ways in which the Stauffers broke Huxley’s thumb-sucking habit. Myka and James were quick to address concerns about the thumb guard in her vlogs.

“Our dentist actually told us it was highly recommended or he would need unnecessary surgery because it changes the palate in his mouth,” Myka explained in a now-deleted video included in the three-part documentary, which was inspired New York Magazinefeature on the family from 2020.

The Ohio parents adopted Huxley, who was later diagnosed with autism, from China when he was 2 1/2 years old, and two years later filed to terminate the adoption, claiming they were unaware of the extent of his disability. Their decision was met with widespread, extreme backlash that eventually drove the family offline.

Documentary series ‘News about our family’.

Vox Media Studios

YouTuber Myka Stauffer said her child ‘can’t be brought back’ before the viral adoption scandal

The Stauffers, as well as Huxley’s new family, did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

After revealing their decision to return Huxley — who was renamed by the new family — the Stauffers’ attorneys spoke to PEOPLE about their ultimate hope to “give Huxley the best possible treatment and care.”

“We are familiar with this case and given the facts we have, we feel this was the best decision for Huxley,” Myka and James’ attorneys, Thomas Taneff and Taylor Sayers, told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement released in May 2020. we know our clients to be a loving family and to be very caring parents who would do anything for their children.”

“Since his adoption, they have consulted with numerous experts in the health and education arenas to provide Huxley with the best possible treatment and care,” continued Taneff and Sayers. “Over time, a team of medical professionals advised our clients that it would be best for Huxley to be placed with another family.”

The vlogger’s legal team noted that the Stauffers followed the advice of medical professionals, which, the attorneys clarified, “did NOT include any consideration for placement in the foster care system, but instead handpicked a family equipped to address Huxley’s needs.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education