Jerry and Louise Baker have ended their seven-year custody battle for Anna Mae He. The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in January that the 8-year-old must return to her biological parents Shaoqiang and Qin Lou He.
The Hes initially entered Anna Mae into temporary foster care after Shaoqiang — then a graduate student in the economics department at the University of Memphis — lost his living stipend following a sexual assault charge. He was acquitted, but the Bakers kept Anna Mae. A local judge gave the Bakers custody of the child, ruling that her parents had abandoned her.
Anna Mae will fully return to her parents at the end of this month, following a court-mandated period of visitation. The Chinese citizens will return to their native country.
Read some of the Flyer’s coverage of the story here.
