[DachMom3]

My fiancée has 2 children. Him and his wife were both in the Navy at the time. The wife got transferred from San Diego to Virginia and left both kids with him for almost 2 years (2003-2004). The mom had minimal contact with the children during that time and provided little monetary support.
In January 2005, he told her that she needed to be a mom to the children. She went to New Mexico, where he and the children had moved when he got out of the service, and picked up both kids to spend time with them.
After that, he lost all contact with her and the kids.
The past 2 years, she finally started contacting him again. He now knows that she took the kids to Maryland to live with her parents while she is still in Virginia. She is full-time Navy and plans to make a career out of it unil retirement.
Their divorce was finalized in Fall 2008. She filed under abandonment even though at that point she knew exactly where he was residing. The child custody / support issues were not part of the divorce proceedings. She also used a civilian lawyer instead of going through the Navy.
In November, she confessed that she had given birth to another child in July 2005 that was a result from an *affair* she was having after she got transferred from SD to Vrg.
Now that he knows where his children are he is wanting to get custody.
The kids have never been raised solely by the biological mom.
He and I have been in a stable, loving relationship for over 2 1/2 years.
In about a month, he is probably going to move to Maryland to be with his kids full-time and establish residency.

We realize that this process will take anywhere from 6 months to a year minimal.
He plans on getting the Navy involved as far as the lies regarding the divorce, the deception of her affair and 3rd child and the fact that for over 2 years she basically hid the kids from him and denied him the right to have a relationship with them.

Her parents are both wanting to retire and he is sure that they will support his getting custody rights legally.

What are the chances that he will be able to get custody of his children and end up bringing them to our home in Texas?

[stevetcg]

The chances are very slim that he will get custody being an absent parent for years, regardless of the reasons. Even slimmer that he will be allowed to move with them since it would interfere with their mother's visitation.

[stevetcg]

Just to clear up a few other points: the divorce and whatever lies are involved in it are not part of the custody issue. Also, she did not hide the kids from him - he wasn't looking. She is in the Navy - they know where she was. If he had tried to find her through proper channels (court) they would have easily located her. Also, her parents have no say in any of it, regardless what side they support.