ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan couple that gained national attention over the adoption of Baby Jessica say they plan to remarry, more than a year after they divorced.
Jan and Roberta DeBoer said Friday their love and commitment carried them through a hard time. "We are happy to be all together again," they said in a statement.
The DeBoers had divorced in October 1999, saying the strain of a 2 1/2-year custody battle was too much for their 17-year marriage.
The couple adopted the girl they called Jessica in 1991 after Cara Schmidt, then Cara Clausen, gave the girl up. Two weeks later, Clausen filed papers to revoke her decision.
The supreme courts in Iowa and Michigan awarded custody to Dan and Cara Schmidt in 1993. Photographers and TV cameras captured the screams and tears of the 2 1/2-year-old girl as she was taken from the DeBoers. Jessica, who turns 10 this month, was renamed Anna.
The Schmidts divorced at about the same time as the DeBoers. The couple have joint custody, but Anna and another daughter, Chloe, live with Dan Schmidt.