Father gains custody of 8-year-old in fake cancer case

DALLAS - The father of a boy whose mother is accused of convincing him he was dying has gained custody of the 8-year-old.

The father and grandmother of Christopher Bowen were fighting for custody of him. The 8-year-old is currently in foster care. His mother, Kaylene Bowen-Wright, was arrested earlier this month and is out on bond.

There's still a long road ahead, but it was an important victory for Ryan Crawford, who's long believed that the boy's mother was harming him.

Crawford was with his attorney in family court on Wednesday. His mother and grandmother were also there to show support.

The judge allowed video of the proceedings but no audio recording inside the courtroom. The judge noted all parties were in agreement that Crawford should have temporary conservatorship of his son, Christopher, who's been in foster care since he was removed from his mother’s care. She is accused of medical child abuse.

Crawford is ordered to undergo counseling and barred from posting about his son online or speaking to the media. His attorney Jeff Branch spoke on his behalf.

“We are extremely ecstatic for Ryan, our client, and for Christopher who will be home with his dad outside of the foster care system, which is to where you want to be during the Christmas holidays,” Branch said.

Ryan’s mother, Nellie Crawford, says it's been five years since she's seen her grandson.

Bowen-Wright had her bond reduced on Monday and was bailed out of jail. As terms of her bond, she is not allowed contact with any of her three children. At Monday's hearing, investigators testified the abuse started when Christopher was just 11 days old with Bowen-Wright lying to nurses.

Her attorney said a mental illness is the reason she falsified medical information about her son.

As a result, the boy underwent major surgeries and hundreds of hospital visits.

A status hearing is scheduled in January.