Custody battle ongoing for Livermore girl who lost mom on Christmas Day
SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (KGO) -- The fate of a 6-year-old East Bay girl, who lost her mother on Christmas Day, is in the hands of an Alameda County Family Court. The girl's mother went into a diabetic coma in a Livermore hotel and later died.
The girl's grandmother and her father from Colorado both want custody.
The waiting continues for Gayle Dodson who is already heartbroken from the loss of her grown daughter on Christmas Day and now she's fighting for custody of her 6-year-old granddaughter.
VIDEO: Livermore police and firefighters help girl who lost mom on Christmas
"My hope is that my granddaughter will come home to all of her family in Florida and have a happy, healthy life and heal from her Mom's death," said Gayle Dodson, the girl's grandmother.
The girl's name is not being released at the request of Child Protective Services.
Angela Alves, 39, was found unresponsive at a Livermore motel on Christmas Day. She had gone into a diabetic coma. Her 6-year-old daughter was alone with her when police arrived.
"She looks you in the eye and says, 'Santa didn't come because mommy wouldn't wake up,'" said Livermore police Officer Dave Morris.
After her mother died, Child Protective Services placed the girl in a foster home. That's where Livermore police and firefighters delivered a truckload of toys the day after Christmas. Now, the kindergartner's grandmother from Florida and her biological father from Colorado both want custody. A court hearing in San Leandro was inconclusive.
"Though there were no resolutions that we were hoping for today, there is a continuation and we will be returning to court and hopefully be getting some resolutions then," Dodson said.
Gayle Dodson said, if she does get custody of her granddaughter, she will make sure the little girl receives daily reminders of her mother.
