Debbie Rowe To Seek Custody Over Jackson Children

Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe has stated that she will seek protective custody over Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11. Both children were born during her marriage to Jackson from 1996 to 1999. She has offered to submit to DNA tests for legal proof of her biological relation to the children. Rowe has also stated that she will seek a restraining order to keep the children away from Jackson's father, the estranged and often demonized Joe Jackson.

Jackson's last will, written in 2002, does not include property or custody transfer to Rowe. Instead, the children are to go to Jackson's mother Katherine or singer Diana Ross if she is unable to provide proper care. This exclusion has prompted Rowe to begin her custody battle by sending her legal representative to attend next Monday's custody hearing.

The mother of Jackson's youngest child, Blanket, remains unidentified, meaning the child will go to Katherine's care without a custody hearing. Next week's hearing will determine where the Jackson children go, and it has been speculated that there is a possibility that the children will be split up.