Vent and a Tale of Pure Evil

Sorry this is so long, I just have to get it out somewhere!

My 19 y.o. nephew, John, came to live with us a few weeks ago. His mom kicked him out for being trans. His dad (hubby's brother) passed away 4 years ago.

We've always known that John's mom was difficult, and we learned things after John's dad passed that went way beyond difficult.  She was controlling and abusive to John's dad, and she cut John off from both his dad's family and her own family after his dad passed. She controlled John's phone and frequently took it away so that we had no way to connect with him.

Dad's family reconnected a few months ago when his aunt found him walking to work and offered a ride. He has no driver's license, and was dependent on his mom to get around. (This is Texas--it's pretty tough to get around without driving.) 

John's dad always intended to give John Dad's first Jeep. It was in rough shape and they worked on it together. Dad was a big Jeeper and Jeeps were a big part of his personality. John is still very into Jeep culture.

When John's mom kicked him out she told him "you better get your Jeep off of my property." We've been trying to arrange to pick it up since then, but, of course, she wouldn't cooperate. Yesterday she told us that the Jeep had been sold. John is devastated. This was his connection to his Dad, and she just ripped it away from him. And then it gets worse...

He had a bank account that she was on and I had asked him a couple of times about moving money out of that account but he didn't want to because, he said, "at least she's not a thief." Well, she's taken all of the money out of the account "for rent" while he lived at home. Over $2000. Pretty much everything he had earned from his job.

We can pursue legal remedies, but John really doesn't want to get entangled further with his mom. She's his only remaining parent, and we'll respect his wishes for how he wants to proceed. For now we're using every resource we can find to try to find and buy the Jeep back. The sentimental value is far greater than the monetary value.

I just can't believe that anyone can be so cruel to their own child. I'm heartbroken for John, and worried that his mom is trying to drive him to the same end as his dad.We're trying to provide a safe haven for John. He left work, school, and most of his possessions behind when he came to live with us (we're not in the same town as his Mom or the rest of our family).  But just when he is finally starting to relax his mom pulls this shit--still controlling and abusing from hundreds of miles away.

John is such a good kid and so much like his dad.  I want to wrap him in bubble-wrap to protect him from all this. He's already had too much to deal with in his young life.