EXCLUSIVE! Jenelle Evans’ Son Jace Reportedly Stated He Ran Away After Being Assaulted By Jenelle’s Husband David Eason

Jenelle Evans’ son Jace is no longer a missing person but his alleged reason for running away from Jenelle’s home on The Land is incredibly disturbing.

As The Ashley told you, Jace went missing on Thursday. The boy was found on Friday and taken to the hospital.

The Ashley can now reveal why Jace was taken to the hospital. According to a police incident report exclusively obtained by The Ashley, Columbus County Police were dispatched to the home of Barbara Evans— Jenelle’s mom and the woman who raised until he went to live with Jenelle in March. It appears that Jenelle made a call to 911 around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday while Jace was missing. In the call, Jenelle stated that she believed Barbara was hiding Jace.

Police were dispatched to Barbara’s home, where it was determined Jace was not there.

However, Barbara then revealed to police the alleged reason that Jace had run away this time.

(As The Ashley has previously reported, this week’s incident was the third time in two months that Jace had run away.)

Barbara revealed to the cops that Jace told her that Jenelle’s husband David Eason allegedly assaulted him.

“Made contact with Barbara who advised [Jace] was not at the residence…” the police report states. “She advised that she had spoken to [Jace] earlier in the evening when he called from an unknown number and told her about being assaulted by David Eason and that he ran away and was hiding…

Barbara stated that Jace asked her to pick him up, but she had to refuse due to “ongoing legal and custody issues.” (Jenelle was the legal custodian of Jace, and could try to get Barb on kidnapping charges had she picked up Jace.) 

Barbara told police that she would call them if she heard from Jace again. He was found on Friday and taken to the hospital. As The Ashley told you, Barbara was spotted at a North Carolina hospital on Saturday.

Jenelle has stated on social media that Jace ran away due to “girlfriend” issues and claimed it had “nothing to do with myself or David’s parenting.”

Multiple agencies are now involved in this situation.

(Please note that The Ashley is not confirming at this time that David assaulted Jace. She is confirming that police were informed that Jace said that.) 

UPDATE! The Ashley can confirm that Jace is no longer in the care of Jenelle. Click here for the latest update. 

The Ashley will continue to update this story. Stay tuned…

(Photos: MTV; Instagram) 

83 Responses


  1. This poor kid been in spot light since his birth and no matter reasoning behind him running away he needs help now he need therapy. If anyone should know teenage years are hard it’s Jenelle her self should know that better then anyone else, please someone get Jase the help he needs before it’s too late because running away just start it will only get worse if it’s not taken care of now so glad the cops, Dr, CPS are all taken this seriously

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  3. I feel for Jace. He was living with his grandmother all these years who gave custody back to his mother. The thing is, there have always been reports of Davids abuse but they got all the kids back, then this year Barb gives custody back of Jace? Why would she give custody back if there were safety concerns. Something is sketchy about the whole situation and Jace is being failed.


  4. “Girlfriend issues”? Isn’t he like 13 years old? I hope he learned from Jenelle’s mistakes, and won’t be getting anyone pregnant in the next few years.
    I really feel for Jace. With Jenelle as your Mother, and David as the abusive step-dad..I can’t even imagine
    He really needs to be careful with alcohol and drugs, because this is the age when kids start experimenting. We see how Jenelle’s relationship is with substances…she is absolutely a doctor-shopping addict, and from the size of her gut, an alcoholic too.


  5. Here’s a possible and likely scenario if Barb had picked him up or in some way provided transportation out of wherever he was—

    Jenelle would go public (or oourse) and file charges again Barbara for kidnapping and possibly other things as well. If Barbara and Jace tried to claim that he left because David assaulted him, Jenelle would flip that script and claim Barbara put him up to lying. In a court, unless Jace could prove David assaulted, a kidnapping charge on Barbara would be likely to stick. Not only would Jenelle get her restraining order, but it would preclude Barbara from ever being considered as a foster kinship parent for any of the kids should David harm them again.

    The fact Jace called her and begged to be picked up, means he loves and trusts her and he may have been staying with a friend who he was trying to protect, so did not want to reveal his location for fear of the police dragging him back to the swamp (like they’ve done twice before in the last 2 months)


  6. All those years of arguing with Barbara over wanting custody of Jace, well now she finally has custody and this is how she protects the son she wanted so dearly? She’s protecting David, not Jace. It just makes me so sad for Jace… Anyone else remember that episode where Nathan won’t help out with the baby shower and she’s sitting in her car, crying, with Jace in the backseat. He was about 4 years old and tries to comfort her by singing so gently a song about how the world is a rainbow… My heart goes out to him.


    1. That episode was heartbreaking for sure. He looked so scared. His selfish whore of a mother was screaming and crying because she didn’t get her way on something. I want to punch her in the face.


      1. We ALL would like to punch her! It wouldn’t do any good. Jenelle will continue to lie and protect David. HE comes first.


    2. The #ToxicParents at the end of her post cracks me up. Yeah, Jenelle, you and that freak show husband of yours ARE the toxic parents. Clearly. I feel for all of her kids. I can’t imagine the life they lead.


  7. I’m a social worker in NC. I don’t work in CPS, but I do work with families. Grandparents are on the lowest of the hierarchy in the state regardless of whether they’ve been the guardian or not to a child. We’ve also had a lot of situations where children removed from the home are sleeping in DSS offices, and I certainly pray Jace is placed in kinship with Barbara before sleeping in an office space. Home visits are one of my favorite parts of the job, but I wouldn’t go anywhere near that residence without an officer. I pray he receives a lot of trauma-based therapy.


  8. I’ll reiterate what everyone has been saying…j&D are such pieces of trash. Jenelle even more so because that is HER son. Her blood. Her first baby. I am so insanely protective of my boys, even when it comes to their dad and we are married! I would NEVER let my husband lay a hand on our kids. I don’t even let him talk down to them without me speaking up and saying something. I’m sure the excuse will be that he abused her, too but who the F cares. You still stand up for your babies! Not lie to protect your vile husband. I really really hope something is done for these kids. They don’t deserve to grow up with all this. They’ve already experienced so much trauma. It doesn’t needed to be added to.

    I’m sure it was hard having a 14 year old boy move into the home after never having raised him. But they didn’t even try. I know my son (13)… I know when he’s anxious, sad, sensitive, etc. they barely knew Jace and didn’t even put forth the effort to know him to know how to parent him. It was all “my way or the highway”and “Barb raised you wrong” blah blah. We all know it was about the show, not about actually loving jace and wanting to be his parent. So sad and I feel for this kid so damn much.

    I really hope he goes back to Barb. I know she’s not perfect, but she 100% cares about that boy. And I’m sure he wants to be with her again…I’m sure he’d be grateful and things would be totally different than before. Either way, praying for this kid. Jace can always come live with me! ❤️


    1. The exact same way all the rest of this country’s CPS workers who have allowed children to fall into the cracks sleep. In all honesty I’d like to say that they are all visited by the children who they have failed and are no longer living due to the abuse they suffered and they toss and turn over the children they are currently failing but in reality they probably have not one but if sleeping issues


  9. I think The Ashley can say it’s most likely true. Someone who murders an innocent animal, pistol whips someone for helping his wife etc… He’s not going to hold his temper for children. They’re the easiest to pick on


    1. How I wish that would happen!! Kaiser’s dad even gave pictures of the abuse that David did to that sweet little boy when he was like 4 or 5 and STILL CPS didn’t do anything! What will it take to get those kids out of there? Why won’t anyone protect them? The families of both Jenelle and the monster knew all about the abuse going on in that house, yet no one would turn them in or try and save them. What kind of people are so afraid of David that they risk the lives of children? And that’s why Jenelle should NEVER be allowed to have them. She lies about all acts of abuse that David commits in order to protect HIM and not her children.


  10. It was never about being a parent for Jenelle.
    It was purely about winning and sticking it to her mother.

    I hope and pray Jace gets what he needs.


    1. 100%. She has NEVER cared about Jace, or any of her kids TBH…it’s always been about defying Barbara and proving Barbara wrong…all the while she just continues to prove that Barbara was right about her the whole time. Jenelle is a sick person who married an even sicker person.


  11. Poor Jace, and you know he has nowhere else to turn aside from Babs, and he can’t even do that because Jenelle is a narcissistic and spiteful bitch that would press kidnapping charges against her own mother for protecting Jace. He murdered the family pet, how long before he SERIOUSLY hurts one of those kids. It’s a scary thought to think about how these kids are going to be as adults. The childhood trauma those kids are experiencing right now is criminal. David needs to be in prison, and Jenelle gives off Diane Downs vibes (she even looks like the woman), and does not need to be parenting anybody.


  12. CPS has really let all of Jenelle’s kids down. Between them and the police they keep letting these skanks get away with everything. I will never understand why they haven’t removed all kids from their custody. They are horrible parents and just awful people. Poor Jace. All this has ever been about to Jenelle is beating barbara. His best interest has never been of concern to jenelle. The second she finally gets him back she takes him off his meds and stops his therapy. He was on meds for a reason and he certainly needs therapy. She only did that to try to prove a point to Barb. Well it backfired and I pray they don’t make jace go back to them. David is gonna end up really hurting someone or worse ine day.


  13. Dumbnelle is a lying despicable shit mother! Looking him in the eye and calling him a liar to his face about her gun pulling incident in front of him…we ALL know what a vile POS that heifer is…her and her dog murdering husband should fight to the death out on the land and the winner goes to jail FK U Dumbnelle you horrible POS


  14. “No way a normal, levelheaded individual like David Eason would assault his stepson” SAID ABSOLUTELY F*CKIN NO ONE IN THE UNIVERSE.
    I’m so mad right now. We all saw it coming since Jace moved with them. Everybody related to them knew this was going to happen. I need that POS in jail right now before he unalives someone.


  15. I swear if I was single without a family of my own, I’d go freaking live with Barb and help her raise Jace. I know she’s exhausted and getting older but I so wish Jace could go back to her – the only adult who ever loved him. She just needs someone a bit younger with some energy to help her out. And she’d get Jace back into therapy & on the consistent meds that he needs.
    Plus it’d be a blast to live with Barb b/c she’s hilarious 😉

    Sigh, I’m not getting my hopes up that Jace won’t be sent back to the Land b/c no charges or arrests have ever stuck when it comes to those a-holes, but hopefully this time will be different. Imagine what Jace would have to go through after telling the police on David. It would be something even worse. Oh that poor kid, I wish I could just take him in and protect him from that neanderthal and that piece of trash who dares to call herself a mother.


  16. She could have picked him up and informed her lawyer and her lawyer could have called PD.
    She could have picked him up and went straight to PD.
    So many options Barb.
    You should have gotten his location and sent him a Uber.


    1. no because if she did jen and loser could file charges and if there is any chance barb can get him back it wouldn’t happen please don’t put this on barb she did the right thing


    2. I was hoping, for once in Junkielle’s pathetic existence, she was actually telling the truth and Jace was doing all of this over a girlfriend. Unfortunately, I knew I would be disappointed and Swampnelle was defending her child abusing husband. She’s just as disgusting as David and I wish nothing but the worst for both of them. Now can the other children and animals be saved from the sinking double wide?


    3. Just because that was reported to the police doesn’t mean Barb would actually do that.
      If jenelle was my daughter, i would say that to the police while harboring Jace to come up with appropriate plan so he didn’t go back to them.


    4. That is not how things work. I know you want them to work that way, tv probably tells you that’s exactly how it works, but it’s not. It’s definitely not how it would go in NC.

      I’ve seen almost this kind of scenario play out. A non-custodial father removed his daughter from an abusive home, immediately took her to the hospital, lawyers and law enforcement all present (informed before they even went). He STILL got charged and lost all chance of custody of his daughter. He beat the charge, eventually, after over two and a half years of fighting. He still sees his daughter, every day, but he can never legally have custody of her or her siblings. It’s a shit state, and Barb is damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t. Those kinds of charges hold some heavy weight in NC.

      As for Uber, Jace would have had to tell her exactly where he was, and he didn’t, so, how do you expect someone to call him an Uber?

      People think others exaggerate when they say how bad NC court systems are for children, especially abused and neglected children. I assure you, they’re likely far worse than you can imagine. They’re just as bad for those who are trying to help those children. NC court system doesn’t give a shit about children, period.


      1. I live in North Carolina and I have been a foster parent for 8 years. You can’t clump it altogether and say that “North Carolina” doesn’t care about kids. I have seen some great things happen with foster children over the years. Some have returned home to a rehabilitated moms and currently I am going to adopt a child because of a mom who sees her son will be better cared for in my house than hers. I’m not saying everyone has been perfect or that the social workers aren’t overworked and underpaid, they definitely are but this happens in every state. It’s really county by county and agency by agency. I have no clue what they are doing where Janelle lives though. They do need to act quickly.


        1. I have been working with and in the NC family court systems for well over a decade. Two of my children came to me this way as well. I know exactly how bad the system is and it is NOT like that in every state. Most states have some issues, but there are some states which are far, far worse. NC is one of the worst culprits when it comes to the welfare of children, especially those who have been abused or neglected. 9 times out of 10, a child will be returned to his or her mother/custodial parent, regardless of the evidence present. I know this for a fact.

          While yes you and I have had some success with the system, we are a rarity, not the norm. We are an exception to the rule, because we, and the children placed with us, have done better than the vast majority. This is not just a matter of CPS failure, either, or overworked people. This starts at the top and trickles down. Anyone that has worked with and in this type of system for more than a few years can attest to just how terrible it really is.

          There is no perfect state, at least not one that I’ve come across. But there are definitely some that are horrendous. NC is even terrible when it comes to getting orders of protection. It took us over 3 years to get one, with ample evidence, even from doctor testimony. It’s utterly ridiculous and I will NEVER give them props for the few times they get it right.


  17. So after all this time of her crying about wanting Jace back and she allows her husband to assault him after finally getting custody?!? Omg, Girl! What is wrong with you???! And then to lie and say it was about a girlfriend. Jace deserves so much better than this.

    I guess now we know the real reason for the restraining orders. She was trying to prevent this from getting out and prevent Jace from having a safe place to run away to. She wanted to isolate him.


  18. God, this is so sad if this is true. And I would believe it, David is a psycho. (Didn’t he hit Kaiser once too?) They don’t deserve any of these kids! I hope this is solved in favor of Jace, he definitely now told her in the hospital he would rather live with Babs again. The whole situation is just so sad. Screw you Jenelle for always putting men first instead of your kids!


    1. Each adult in Jace life have failed him. Barbara could have sent someone else to pick him up. Especially if he was missing. She just needed Jace location. An Uber if Barbara paid could have taken Jace somewhere safe. Better yet, give Jace location to the police instead of refusing to help her grandson


      1. no she couldn’t anyone else picking him up could get charged especially barb doesn’t have custody she cannot give permission and you cannot just pick someone up that says to pick them up


    2. David beat little Kaiser many times, not just once. Kaiser’s dad took pictures of the abuse and STILL nothing happened to those monsters. Jenelle laughed about it and said Kaiser got those bruises on his butt from a water slide!!! Uh huh! From the time Kaiser was a toddler, David has referred to him as “a little bitch” and he encourages Einsley to call him “a little ass-hole”


  19. Well me and @downvotedat, and I’m sure a lot of others, knew she knew what happened and was covering it up. We all believe Jace and pray that he’s not returned. He would be better off going back to Barbara’s but I know she’s 70 and tired.

    I do wonder why she couldn’t help him/pick him up, when the judge denied the restraining order Thursday and he called her Thursday night?

    I also wonder if David assaulted him bc of the restraining order being denied.
    What a sad situation.
    We know jenelle doesn’t defend her children. We all HEARD the way he verbally abused Kaiser on TV. We all know he killed a puppy.
    Your children need you Jenelle. You are supposed to be their advocate and you have failed them. You have gaslit and treated Jace bad all his life. You’ve called him a liar when he was telling the truth regarding the gun situation that was ON CAMERA. Imagine everything else you’ve done/ said to him off camera.
    You would’ve never gotten custody of him had it not been bc your mom was tired.

    He told the counselor years ago that David was mean to him. THAT COUNSELOR IS THE REASON YOU GOT DENIED PRIMARY CUSTODY.
    And here we are…. He assaulted him.


    1. Us parents are supposed to be our children’s protectors. They’re innocent.. even at 14. You were supposed to protect him.. and you failed..

      guarantee she will make a video this week saying Jace is lying.. and that David did not assault him.

      Again, calling Jace a liar and gaslighting him.

      America.. the world.. believes you Jace


      1. Those pukes don’t deserve any children in their care. David is a monster. Jenelle has chosen horrible men her whole life over Jace. There is a special spot in hell for them.


    2. Yes, my friend, we saw it before it was announced, David beat the shit out of him, Jace ran out of The house to escape. Stevie Wonder could see this coming, but not CPS.


  20. I wonder had Barb picked Jace up, could she be charged with parental interference or kidnapping. (Since she does not have custody/) By playing it safe, she may have made it so she was available down the road to take him back in.

    Barb is by no means perfect, but at least she had Jace in therapy and on his medication. God only knows what those loonies on the land are doing.


    1. Yes, she could have been. Imo, That’s the entire reason why Janelle called the cops claiming barb was hiding Jace.
      Janelle wasn’t trying to find her child, she was trying to frame barb.


    2. Good point regarding Barbara. I was wondering the same thing. Hopefully he’s released back to her custody.


      1. If babs knows where he is and doesn’t tell Janelle, then that only looks bad on babs in the eyes of the law unfortunately.


    3. No way,she would have been charged. She had so many options and this pisses me off.
      And I’m not just guessing!


      1. Yes, she would have been charged. That’s how things work in NC. We don’t like it, but that is exactly how things work there. It’s truly disgusting how much the court systems there support and protect abusive, neglectful pieces of shit like Jenelle and David, and how little they protect children.


        1. I honestly believe that Jenelle and Monster chose to live in NC for that very reason. She knew she had to live in a state that would go easy on all of the crimes that she and Monster commit. Look how many times he’s been caught driving with a suspended license or driving with an open alcohol container! Did anything happen to him? No. All of his violent acts against Kaiser? No action taken. The violent attacks against Jenelles friend with a gun? No action taken. Yep, Those two found the state of their dreams!


    4. she could have she did the right thing this isn’t a barb problem but because jen decided to try and get a restraining order barb did the right thing


  21. This poor kid. All of them, actually. They’re all effed. How old is Marisa these days? Doesn’t David have a son that he doesn’t have custody of? Does he see him at all? Where is Marissa’s mother? What a disaster for all of them, I don’t think there’s a single able parent among the six kids! Some Brady Bunch this is, where is Mike, Carol, and Alice when you need them?! 🙂

    In all seriousness though, I really hope the police/CPS/someone steps in soon, or there will be a really, really tragic event on the land….


    1. I recently read somewhere on Reddit (so take this with a grain of salt) that Marissa said she was scared to go there in court, and Marissa’s own mom said she was a pathological liar so she was given back to the Easons. That’s so SAD. She might lie about crap, who knows, but now we know she WASN’T lying about feeling unsafe at the swamp.


  22. My heart breaks for this poor boy and his siblings. I can’t imagine the fear and how alone he must feels.
    I hope somehow, someday, he can get away from that family and grow into a healthy function adult, breaking the cycle of neglect, violence and lovelessness.


  23. I had a feeling that Barb was involved in someway. Honestly, I felt that he was at Barb’s and J&D were bidding their time so they could use it against her. Fortunately, she knew this would happen if she intervened. It’s unfortunate that she couldn’t help him because of how spiteful her “bitch of a daughta” and psycho son-in-law are.

    I think J&D were way in over their heads with Jace. He is struggling and they don’t know how to handle that. Or they refuse to because they feel they can do better than Barb. It was only a matter of time before it came to a head. The thing is it is both Barb and Jenelle who contributed to Jace’s issues. It’s not just one party. I know people want to place the blame solely on Jenelle, but Barb did raise Jenelle and we are seeing the same issues arise with Jace. It also didn’t help that Jenelle was in and out of his life. Her desire to have him back wasn’t based off maternal instinct, but it was out of revenge against her mother. And it shows. It would have taken her 14 years to regain custody. And she did so on a technicality.

    Ultimately, I hope that David and Jenelle finally face some sort of consequences. I’m not holding my breath though. I hope Jace gets the help, happiness and stability he deserves. Same with Maryssa, Ensley, and Kaiser.


    1. Its not ~completly~ up to the police tho, they can only do so much. Its up to CPS, and they have failed throughout Jace’s entire life.

      (Not saying the cops did a good job by any means, but they can’t just randomly remove children)


  24. That poor, brave young man! I hope and pray that this is finally what saves his siblings and himself from the swamp things. My heart breaks hearing that Barbara had to refuse to pick him up when he reached out, how scared he must have been and how alone he must have felt. I know some of us have negative opinions on at least some of what Barbara has or hasn’t done over the years too, but regardless I’m sure her heart broke in that moment too & felt helpless as well. NC authorities hopefully don’t bungle this investigation up this time

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