Aaron Carter's fiancée Melanie Martin has gained full custody of their one-year-old son Prince following the singer's sudden death last month.
The singer, 34, was discovered in his bathtub on November 5 at his home in Lancaster, California after police officers received a 911 call at 11am - his representatives later confirmed his death, with the exact cause still pending confirmation.
Aaron and Melanie, 30, had an on-off relationship and split just two days after Prince was born. He had spoken openly about his battles with substance abuse and his mental health.
According to TMZ, Melanie's mother had cared for Prince since September after both Aaron and Melanie lost custody.
A representative for Melanie said that a hearing was held in Los Angeles on Thursday and a court found her fit to care for Prince and subsequently awarded her with full custody. It is thought Melanie was in New York when her legal team told her the news.
A statement by Melanie, released to TMZ, read: "I’m honouring Aaron today and I know he would be so proud of me. I’m very emotional thinking we could have been a family, but Aaron would be so happy knowing I got him back."
Aaron's mum, Jane, is believed to be happy with the decision, saying "the child should be with the mother" despite her or Aaron's siblings having not met Prince.
The latest development comes after it was confirmed that the one-year-old would inherit Aaron's estate after tragically dying without a will.
Carter's family made their intentions to make sure Prince is taken care of - with Californian law stipulating that as there was no clear directive, his entire estate should go to the toddler.
His estimated worth in real estate and personal property is believed to be around $550,000.
Aaron's twin sister, Angel, has now applied to be the administrator of his estate as the Carter family try to protect his interests.
Angel paid tribute to her late brother on would have been their joint 35th birthday last week.
She took to Instagram on December 7 to commemorate Aaron's birthday with a lengthy post and photo of the twins as children, and said she has been left with "extreme grief" following his death.
Angel also shared a conversation she had with Aaron just days before he passed in which she "begged" the singer to let the family help him.
She said: "I spoke with him two days before he passed, and I begged, once again, for him to let us help. I did not know that would be the last time that I would ever hear his voice."
She added: "Aaron dying was the worst day of my life. I have loved him since we were born... it feels like a piece of my soul is gone."
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