Suit over Belcher's child dismissed

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FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The custody case of the daughter of the late football player Jovan Belcher was dismissed in Fort Worth, Texas, her fate to be decided by Missouri officials.

Belcher killed his girlfriend, then committed suicide at the Kansas City Chiefs' team facility in December, and grandparents from both sides of the family have been arguing over the future of 4-month-old Zoey Belcher and the potential millions of dollars from the late football player's estate, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said Tuesday.

The custody case was dismissed in Texas' 324th District Court by Judge Jerome Hennigan, who signed a dismissal order Friday after concluding the child's home state under family law is Missouri, not Texas. His decision means the child's future will be determined in a Missouri courtroom.

Grandparents are no longer talking to each other, the newspaper said.

The child's maternal grandmother, Rebecca Gonzalez, filed a lawsuit in Fort Worth for permanent custody, but the child's paternal grandmother, Cheryl Shepard of West Babylon, N.Y., filed a similar action seeking custody in Missouri, court records said.