'90 Day Fiancé' 's Paul Staehle Says He and Son, 3, Aren't Missing amid Alleged Custody Dispute

Photo: Paul Staehle/Facebook

Paul Staehleis returning home after an alleged misunderstanding with Child Protective Services.

Louisville Metro Police Department tells PEOPLE that they took a missing person’s report on June 9 and have since assigned the case – which is “considered an open and active investigation” – to their Missing Persons Unit.

Since they embarked on their road trip, CPS has taken custody of Paul and ex-wifeKarine Martins' 16-month-old sonEthan Martins, who had been staying with Staehle’s mother. CPS did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Staehle told TMZ that he’s been traveling between Pennsylvania and Florida since early June, looking for work and that he brought Pierre with him because the child suffers from severe separation anxiety. He said that upon returning home, he plans to regain custody of his children.

Karine Martins Staehle and Paul Staehle.pauljasonstaehle/Instagram

Martins, who is from Brazil, shared that she’s “doing well” in a statement written in Portuguese, which she posted Saturday on her Instagram Story. She notified her more than 451,000 followers that she would soon provide an update in an Instagram Live.

She previouslyfiled a protective orderagainst Staehle in Aug. 2020, claiming that she “feared for my life and my son’s life” and needed to be “rescued from an environment that no longer was healthy for none of us involved in the situation.”

Staehle denied harming his wife at the time, expressing on his Instagram Story that he was “scared” and “really upset” after she left with their child. He added in police footage that he has Martins “on camera assaulting me.”

RELATED VIDEO: 90 Day Fiancé’s Paul Staehle Hints Estranged Wife Karine Martins Is Expecting Their Second Child

The pair made their debut on season 1 of90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Daysin 2017, before returning for season 2.

They also appeared on the spin-offs90 Day Fiancé: The Other WayandHappily Ever After?. After tying the knot in 2017, they began divorce proceedings in Nov. 2019.

source: people.com