Country singer McCready's son taken into custody

By the time United States authorities took country singer Mindy McCready’s five-year-old son from her and into custody last night, one thing had already become apparent: McCready’s life has come to resemble a bad country song.

Since her emergence in the mid-1990s as a honey-voiced success story out of Nashville, McCready has been increasingly known for her personal foibles instead of her music.

This week’s custody battle was the latest in a long saga of personal heartache and brushes with the law.

Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Terri Durdaller said her agency was working with Arkansas state officials to take McCready’s son, Zander, back to his maternal grandmother in Florida. His grandmother has been his guardian since 2007.

Officials say he’s safe and in good health.

Gayle Inge, Zander’s grandmother and McCready’s mother, said: “I’m real excited that he’s safe, but I can’t explain what this is like. We feel for Mindy and we feel for Zander.”

Inge said Zander was taken into custody at McCready’s boyfriend’s lake home in Arkansas. Inge said that her son – McCready’s half-brother – texted McCready, 36, who responded with a text that said her mother would never see her again.

“I want to wrap my arms around her and tell her that I love her,” Inge said, adding that her daughter and grandson were found by authorities “hiding in a closet”.

The evening’s developments capped a days-long struggle between McCready – who is seven months pregnant with twins – and several others, including state of Florida child welfare authorities, a judge and her own mother.

Authorities say McCready took the boy during a visit late last month to her father’s Florida home, where she was allowed to visit the boy. McCready’s parents are divorced.

A Florida judge signed an order Thursday telling authorities to take the boy into custody and return him. It’s not yet clear whether the singer could face criminal charges.

McCready said earlier in the week that she would not bring her son back from Tennessee, where she has a home, despite violating the custody arrangement. She said her son had suffered abuse at her mother’s house, a claim that Inge vehemently denies.

McCready found fame in the mid-1990s when she moved to Nashville at the age of 18, armed with only her karaoke tapes. Her first album, 'Ten Thousand Angels', sold two million copies.

Her next four albums weren’t as successful. Her personal troubles began encroaching on her professional success. According to her website, she suffers from severe depression.