90 Day Fiancé alum Paul Staehle was reported missing along with his 3-year-old son Pierre Martins by Child Protective Services last month in Louisville.
However, the reality star confirmed to TMZ on Saturday that it was all a big “misunderstanding.” He added that the two have simply been on a long work trip together and that the toddler is safe.
Three-year-old Pierre Martins is Paul Staehle and his ex-wife Karine Martin’s first child who was born in 2019 in Manaus, Brazil. Later in February 2021, Staehle and Martin welcomed their second child Ethan.
After Pierre's birth, the proud father spoke to People and said:
“I’m very happy, very honored and very privileged and I want to make sure I do my absolute best for Pierre.”
All about 90 Day Fiancé Paul Staehle and his son’s missing case
On Wednesday, June 8, the 90 Day Fiancé star Paul Staehle’s son Pierre Martins was reported by Child Protective Services. The next day, the Louisville Metro Police Department also released a missing person's report for the three-year-old.
Additionally, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also put out an alert for Pierre. The alert had a picture of Pierre and mentioned that he may be in the company of his father.
Paul denied the allegations that he kidnapped or ran off with his child. Instead, he stated that he has been on a "long work trip" with Pierre since June. He also said that he has been traveling between Pennsylvania and Florida to find work so he can take custody of Pierre and Ethan.
The 90 Day Fiancé star also said that he took his son along with him because Pierre suffers from "extreme separation anxiety." The reality show star also admitted that he planned on returning to Louiseville to try and regain custody of both his sons.
Brazilian reality star Karine Martins issued a statement on her Instagram story about the situation in Portuguese, which was translated by People. According to the translation, Martins said that she was "doing well." She also added that she would be providing an update to her 451,000+ followers through an Instagram Live soon.
About Paul Staehle and Karine Martins relationship
Viewers were introduced to Paul and Karine in season 1 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days in 2017. The couple then returned for season 2 of the show. In both seasons, fans saw Paul meeting Karine in Brazil and then getting married to her in 2017.
The newly married couple then came back on screen with the show's spin-off 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? However, it turned out that things between the lovebirds weren't as rosy anymore.
The couple started to fight constantly as Paul struggled to work in Brazil to provide for his new family. The couple then decided to shift base and move to Kentucky. Their move was a result of their belief that things would be better for them in another state and that their relationship would go back to normal. However, the move only made things worse for the 90 Day Fiancé stars.
Following this move, they moved back to Brazil once again where they welcomed, Ethan, their second son. Though the show ended, the couple's fight continued and their relationship hit rock bottom. It was confirmed in November 2019 after Karine admitted that she had split from Staehle and was "looking for a lawyer."
Almost two years ago, in August 2020, Karine filed a protective order against Paul, claiming that she feared for her and her sons' lives. She said that the two needed to be "rescued from an environment that no longer was healthy for none of us involved in the situation."
At the same time, Paul reportedly denied the allegations of harming his wife at the time. He claimed on his Instagram stories that he was the one who was "scared and really upset" after Karine left with their two sons.