Last week, the Interwebs were all abuzz about the ponderous news that beloved radio personality Casey Kasem had disappeared. Kasem’s adult children ran to court, trying to find out where their step-mother, Jean Kasem, may have taken their father, who has advanced Parkinson’s Disease. A judge awarded Kasem’s daughter Kerri a temporary conservatorship for her father while the case was being pursued.

Within hours of the judge ordering investigators to find Kasem, the golden-throated host — who can no longer talk — was found alive and well in Washington state with wife Jean. They were said to be vacationing, visiting friends in Washington. Police who found Kasem said that he was doing well and that his health was being cared for.

But Kasem’s adult children were not going away that easily. They are estranged from step-mom Jean, and have been for years. Now that Kasem is old and very ill, his children have to fight with their stepmother to get to see him. They have visitation rights, which they were alleging were violated by her taking him out of the health care facility where he had been residing and spiriting him away across state lines. For a while they even suspected she had left the country with him.

The situation so concerns Kerri Kasem that she left her job as co-host of a syndicated radio program to devote more time to pushing through legislation that would require adult children with ill parents to be kept informed of their condition and whereabouts.

Now Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Daniel S. Murphy has ordered that Kerri Kasem be given “temporary durable power of attorney and health care directive” for her father. He also ordered that Jean Kasem surender Casey’s passport to Kerri so that he can not be taken out of the country.

The judge even hinted at elder abuse in Kasem’s case.

“Isolation is a factor in elder abuse under civil law,” Judge Murphy said. “Mrs. Kasem has not allowed the children to see Mr. Kasem. What concerns me even more is that I appointed an attorney to represent the interests of Mr. Kasem and he’s not been allowed to have any conversation with his client or the doctor I appointed.”

“We are happy with the decision the court made today. Now Kerri and family can focus on bringing their father back home, where he can get the proper care and support that he needs,” said a spokesman for Kerri Kasem

There is currently no word regarding whether the judge will do anything about the pictures Kasem was supposed to see last week.

Image via YouTube