The death of a seven-year-old boy in Manitowoc County is leading some people to ask how the suspects in the case got custody of the boy.
Ethan Hauschultz was killed last April while his uncle and aunt were his legal guardians.
Green Bay Attorney Tara Adolph explains that children can be appointed a new guardian if a parent can’t take care of them physically or financially. She says a lot of times a guardian will petition for guardianship. Adolph says the court system does criminal background and home checks to make sure the guardian is a good fit.
The number of court-appointed guardianships in the state rose from about 2600 in 2012 to almost 3200 in 2017.
