Parents lose custody of kids amid probe of YouTube 'pranks'


Save Story

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — A Maryland couple who posted controversial "prank" videos of themselves berating their children have temporarily lost custody of two of their five kids amid an investigation.

Heather and Mike Martin uploaded nearly 300 videos to their popular "DaddyOFive" YouTube channel. In them, the parents screamed profanities at their children, broke their toys and filmed the children fighting each other. They apologized last month for making "some terrible parenting decisions."

The two children's biological mother, Rose Hall, says in a YouTube video that she has been granted emergency custody of them. Frederick County Sheriff's Department Maj. Tim Clarke says the children were handed over Friday and are with Hall in North Carolina.

Clarke says an investigation into the videos is ongoing. He says prosecutors will determine if any charges are filed.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent U.S. stories

Related topics

The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Notice.
    Newsletter Signup

    KSL Weather Forecast

    KSL Weather Forecast
    Play button