'American Idol' 's Syesha Mercado Reunited with Baby Daughter amid Custody Battle: 'Ast Is Home'

Syesha Mercado and her partner Tyron Deener are still working on regaining custody of their 18-month-old son Amen'Ra

Syesha Mercado
Photo: Syesha Mercado/instagram (2)

Syesha Mercado's baby girl is back in her care.

The American Idol alum, 34, and her partner Tyron Deener announced on Friday that they have been reunited with their 2-week-old daughter Ast after temporarily losing custody of the child last week.

News of the reunion was shared in a video posted to Mercado's Instagram, in which Deener told their supporters, "Ast is back with us."

Giving followers a glimpse of the newborn sleeping in a baby carrier, Deener continued, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart and my family for being there for us unconditionally."

According to Deener, he and Mercado are still working on regaining custody of their 18-month-old son Amen'Ra, who was taken by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) on March 11.

"We still got work to do to get Ra back, but we just wanted to say thank you because of y'all ... we had the proper support to get the best attorneys in the country to be able to bring justice," Deener told followers.

In a GoFundMe set up in support of the family, Mercado claimed that child services officials took Amen'Ra when she had taken the boy to a Florida hospital for fluids while transitioning from breastfeeding to the bottle due to her pregnancy at the time.

"On March 11th, our sun Amen'Ra was forcefully and legally kidnapped from us by CPS, who claim we refused a B12 shot that was a matter of life and death, which is an absolute lie," she alleged in the fundraiser's description. "We never refused a B12 shot, and at no point was he on the verge of death."

Randy Warren, a spokesperson for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, previously told PEOPLE that an investigation was launched after authorities receiving a tip about a child who was "suffering from severe malnutrition."

"Ultimately the child, by order of a judge, was sheltered and treatment took place," Warren said. "The parents refused to cooperate."

RELATED VIDEO: American Idol Alum Syesha Mercado Loses Custody of 2nd Child Just 5 Months After Her 1st: 'Legally Kidnapped'

According to Warren, deputies later "executed a pick-up order signed by a family court judge" for a second child.

On Aug. 11, Mercado posted a video of her family's interaction with the deputies, during which she and Deener received a court order to turn over Ast for a hospital checkup despite their claims that they have paperwork proving she had gone the day before.

"My baby is days old, and you're taking my baby away from me. You have no heart. This is so wrong," Mercado can be heard saying in the video.

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On Tuesday, Mercado and Deener spoke out about losing custody of both Ast and Amen'Ra in a virtual press conference.

"I am a first-time mom and I've been deprived of holding my babies, and feeding my babies," Mercado said. "I didn't get to see Ra say mama for the first time. I didn't get to see my babies meet for the first time. I didn't get to see that and I can't go back and redo that moment. I will never be able to go back and redo that moment."

"I'm supposed to be loving my babies," the singer continued. "I've been deprived of that and I don't know how to articulate it. It hurts so bad."

Syesha Mercado
gofundme

During the press conference, Deener also said that he and Mercado "have not done anything that is irresponsible as parents."

"The only thing that we have ever done as parents is make responsible decisions, loving decisions," Deener said. "We have not committed any crime. We have not abused our babies."

"Our life revolves around health, balance and doing what we can to guide our children," he added. "Nothing that we do is detrimental to our babies."

The Florida Department of Children and Families did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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