Court records reveal anger issues, troubled past of jailed stepmom of missing boy

The stepmother of a missing 5-year-old boy has had anger issues and until a few months ago was allowed only supervised visits with her own two young sons, according to court records.

Five-year-old Lucas Hernandez disappeared Saturday, Feb. 17, prompting a massive search and investigation by Wichita police and the FBI.

His 26-year-old stepmother, Emily Glass, reported him missing. Wichita police arrested her Wednesday, saying they suspect her of endangering Lucas and a 1-year-old child.

A Butler County judge in October allowed Glass to have unsupervised visits with her own two sons – but kept custody with the boys’ father.

The judge’s order said that Glass has shown “unjustified confrontation in front of the children, foul language ... a general pattern of inconsistent and at times inappropriate parental behavior.”

In one court document, her sons’ father accused her of physically assaulting him while he held the children. He said she physically fought with men she dated. Another court document alleged that she smashed through a window to enter a home where she was not welcome.

Efforts to reach Glass, her current spouse and her family were unsuccessful.

In July, Glass filed an affidavit in Butler County District Court arguing she should have joint custody of her two biological sons, ages 6 and 7.

As part of her argument, Glass said she has “taken care of step-son Lucas A. Hernandez for the past two and half years; clothes, bathes, feeds, plays, teaches, takes to doctors appointments, etc.”

She noted a visit with her two sons on July 8 at Chisholm Creek Park near 29th and Woodlawn – where on Friday police returned to do a grid search for Lucas after combing the park on two consecutive days earlier this week.

She described herself in court documents since August as a stay-at-home mom whose fiance/husband, Jonathan Hernandez, is the “sole financial care taker” and “is away at work most of the time.”

Jonathan Hernandez has custody of his son, Lucas, relatives have said.

He and Glass recently moved to a rental house on South Edgemoor, where Glass told police this past Saturday evening, around 6:15 p.m., that she last saw Lucas in his bedroom at 3 that afternoon before she fell asleep.

The boy’s great-grandmother has said that Lucas once told her that Glass kicked him and dragged him across a room. Glass denied it, the great-grandmother said. Another relative reported concerns that Lucas was being abused to the Kansas Department for Children and Families. The agency mailed the family a letter in May saying it was investigating.

Multiple relatives and neighbors also have told The Eagle that they saw bruises on Lucas.

It’s unclear whether the agency was aware at the time of its investigation that Glass was not allowed to be alone with her own two sons.

DCF, in an email signed by Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel, said Friday that it “is legally prohibited from publicly discussing its possible history with this family.”

Her court file

On Oct. 16, Butler County District Court Judge David Ricke ordered that Glass could have limited unsupervised time with her two sons. The judge ordered that the boys’ father continue to have sole legal custody.

The court order noted a plan to increase Glass’ parenting time “gradually and hopefully safely.”

Before progressing in the plan, she had to complete a parenting course that dealt with anger or violence.

The order said that Glass “has used illegal drugs in the past and is forgiven” but warned that any future use would be seen as “a choice by her not to parent” her children. She was not allowed to leave Butler and Sedgwick counties with the children.

The judge also wrote that the “mother has also shown a genuine concern regarding the children’s welfare.”

The court also noted that Glass had a restricted license. She had to have a licensed driver with her to pick up her sons.

The order allowing unsupervised visits came after Glass filed an affidavit on July 11 in the Butler County court arguing that she should receive unsupervised visits with her sons, who lived with their father in Park City.

She said she had lived for three years at an apartment at 1157 S. Webb and was planning to move to New Mexico or Colorado for health reasons and for her fiance’s job.

She had a baby on Jan. 10, 2017.

Wichita police announced Wednesday that they had arrested Glass on suspicion of endangering two children – a 1-year-old and Lucas. Police said the arrest resulted from new information gained in their investigation of Lucas’ disappearance. Glass has been held in jail on a $50,000 bond; she has not been charged. Police are expected to present their investigation to prosecutors on Monday.

‘Assaulted me’

In her July affidavit, Glass contended that she was a “fit and proper parent,” was “stable and clean from any illicit drugs” and should be able to “spend quality, alone time” with her children.

She said she hadn’t been able to pay monthly child support of $530 “due to my health and not being able to work, and recently taking care of my six month old baby, but it is something I am working on.”

Her husband/fiance, Jonathan Hernandez, “has agreed to make small payments when he can, only after paying bills and providing for his minor children at home,” her affidavit said.

She had been seeking unsupervised visits for years.

A court document from Oct. 7, 2014, signed by the attorney for the two boys’ father, stated that Glass said “she was off drugs, employed, wanted regular supervised visits … and was residing with her sister.”

But the document said Glass still led a troubled life: that she had been accused of stealing her sister’s vehicle, accused of smashing through a window to get into a home where she wasn’t welcome and that “the police are involved.”

Before that, on June 25, 2014, the father of the boys, then living in Butler County, requested sole custody because of what he called Glass’ “continuous instability.”

In his affidavit, the father said Glass “has exhibited some past erratic and unpredictable behavior where she has physically assaulted me while I held the children … She has made decisions that concern me for the care of the children at this time and until things stabilize for her.”

He said that around that time she had dated two men in relationships that involved “physical altercations,” causing him to fear for her and his sons.

Earlier this week, Wichita police released reports detailing several incidents in the past couple years where they went to the South Webb apartment where Glass and Jonathan Hernandez were allegedly fighting.

In one of those incidents, she was found guilty in Wichita Municipal Court of disorderly conduct/fighting.

This story was originally published February 23, 2018 at 7:15 PM with the headline "Court records reveal anger issues, troubled past of jailed stepmom of missing boy."