HELP!
I have a 7 year old god daughter and her mother (my best friend) is addicted to heroin. She has been to prison in the past and is on a fast track to death or prison. I am trying to obtain legal and permanent custody of her daughter, however, I do not have any legal documents supporting me. I have emails and text messages of her asking me to take her daughter if anything happens to her. I fear that after something terrible happens, it will be too late. She has living grandparents and great grandparents, but they are terribly unfit (they support the herion and crack addictions of all family members). My struggle is that she lives in WV and I live in FL. Is there a document I could have her sign and get noterizrd that would protect me and my god daughter and allow me to gain custody in the event of something tragic or sooner?

No, not really "god daughter" is not a legal position in the US for custody, it is a religious title for someone who is to educate the child in the religion of the parent if they can not.

Where is the child's father, they have the best chance at custody.

But a family member will always be looked at first.

You are going to have to get CPS involved and get the child taken out of the home, after that you my try to get guardianship but it is not going to be easy, You need an attorney to help though this

Father is in prison. Even with her willing to sign custody, it would still have to go through the courts? I am trying to avoid her going into foster care