The Omaha father who left nine of his children at a hospital under Nebraska’s old safe-haven law has given up his parental rights to them, according to court documents.
Gary Staton is the first biological parent to officially relinquish parental rights to a child dropped off under the old law, before it was amended last November to cover only newborns.
His step paves the way for his children to be adopted or be placed in long-term guardianships. Their 34-year-old mother, RebelJane Staton, is deceased.
The seven youngest children moved in with an aunt in Lincoln. The two older children had been living in foster care in Omaha.
In 19 other safe-haven cases, 20 other children are in Nebraska foster care. In those cases:
• Ten parents are participating in Juvenile Court proceedings and services in the hope of getting their children returned.
• Seven other parents or guardians have not attended court hearings to pursue being reunited with the children. Prosecutors probably will try to terminate their parental rights.
• Two people rescinded legal guardianships, but in both cases, the biological parents had not had their rights terminated. At least one parent in each case has been involved in court.
Juvenile Court judges make the final decision on whether families are reunified.
Staton, 36, dropped off his nine children — the youngest a toddler and the oldest 17 — at Creighton University Medical Center on Sept. 24. A 10th child, the family’s oldest, is legally an adult.
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