‘Teen Mom 2’: Where Is Jace Evans After His Third Runaway Attempt Since Moving in With Jenelle Evans and David Eason

Jenelle Evans regained custody of her eldest son, Jace Evans, in March 2023. The former Teen Mom 2 star marked the occasion with an emotional Facebook post. It didn’t take long for reports of trouble between the former reality TV star and her eldest child to surface, though. By August, Jace was reported as a runaway. More recently, there have been two additional runaway attempts and child abuse allegations. The now 14-year-old Jace is back in the custody of his grandmother, just seven months after he moved in with his mother. 

Jace Evans’ runaway attempts 

All was quiet in the Evans/Eason household from March until August. Once the drama kicks up with Jenelle Evans, though, it doesn’t seem to let up. In August, Jenelle posted to Facebook about her marital issues. Days later, Jace Evans was reported missing when he failed to return from school. He was located by police a short time later. Jenelle insisted that Jace was angry that his phone had been taken away as punishment. 

Two weeks later, Jenelle reported Jace missing once again when he failed to return home after a few hours in the woods surrounding their home. Jace was found, once again, by police and returned to his mother. The incident was the least dramatic of the three runaway attempts. 

According to In Touch, Jace was reported missing again in late September, but unlike the other incidents, he didn’t turn up immediately. The teen, whose birth was captured on 16 and Pregnant, reportedly snuck out a bedroom window, leaving his personal belongings, including his cell phone, behind. Jenelle accused her mother of harboring the teen fugitive, sending police to her location. Barbara informed police that while Jace was not with her, he did call her to report he had been assaulted by his stepfather, David Eason. 

Jace was eventually located and taken to a hospital for an evaluation. CPS opened a case, and David Eason has been charged. Jenelle continues to defend her husband, claiming her followers don’t know the story in Facebook musings. 

Where is Jace Evans now? 

Following the child abuse charges against David Eason, Jace was removed from Jenelle Evans’ custody and placed back with his grandmother, Barbara Evans. For now, the placement appears to be temporary. It is unclear if Jenelle will regain custody of the teen again. 

According to In Touch, Jenelle Evans alleges that alternative arrangements for Jace are being considered due to behavioral issues he has had while in Barbara’s care. What those arrangements might consist of is unclear. The whereabouts of Jace’s biological father, Andrew Lewis, are unknown. He has never had a relationship with the boy. 

This is not the first time Barbara Evans has taken custody of Jenelle’s children 

Jace is back in familiar surroundings with Barbara. Until March, he lived full-time with his grandmother. Barbara had custody of Jace from the time he was a toddler until this year. He isn’t the only one of Jenelle’s children that Barbara has cared for over the years, though. 

In 2019, Barbara took emergency custody of the only child Jenelle and her troubled husband, David Eason, share. Ensley Eason was placed with Barbara after David Eason admitted to shooting and killing the family dog. Jenelle’s son, Kaiser Griffith, was also removed from the home following the incident, but he was placed temporarily with his father, Nathan Griffith. Nathan is now facing his own serious legal issues. 

David’s daughter, Maryssa Eason, was also living in the home at the time. She was placed with a maternal family member while the court case unfolded. All the children were eventually returned to David and Jenelle, with the exception of Jace. His custody arrangement remained unchanged.