A proud father has suffered another blow in his bid to gain custody of his newborn daughter after his ex-girlfriend reneged on a deal to hand her over to him.
Carpenter Dan Gaut, from Sydney’s north, was excited about the impending birth until his pregnant girlfriend, Liv, suddenly returned to the US without him.
She has since rekindled her relationship with a former partner and announced she would be putting the baby up for adoption.
But Mr Gaut’s ex agreed to legally hand over the child to him if he flew to be with her during or shortly after the birth in March.
Now the tradie has revealed that his ex has had a heartbreaking change of heart and decided to keep baby Ana instead.
“I feel heartbroken and empty as I am forced to leave America alone,” Gaut revealed in an emotional Instagram post.
Carpenter Dan Gaut, from Sydney’s north, was excited about the impending birth until his pregnant girlfriend Liv suddenly returned to the US without him.
Daniel Gaut, from Sydney’s north, was on holiday in the United States when he met someone he thought would be ‘the love of his life’
“Liv has changed her mind and wants to keep Ana in the United States and be her primary caregiver.
“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported me on this journey.”
He added, “I will use the remaining donations to seek legal representation in Austin and visit Ana as often as I can.
“I still have a vision of Ana growing up in Australia in the not-too-distant future.”
Gaut met his ex while on holiday in San Francisco in early 2023, before she followed him back to Australia and their whirlwind romance began.
He told A Current Affair in February that the pair were deeply in love and decided to have a child together.
“She said, ‘There’s nothing left in Texas for me… all my heart and energy is in Australia,’” he said.
Dan Gaut has revealed that his ex has had a heartbreaking change of heart and decided to keep baby Ana instead
Dan Gaut previously said his ex supported him bringing the baby to Australia
But things changed after she became pregnant. Liv became homesick and planned a short trip to Texas to be with her support network, he said.
But she chose to stay in the US. She told Mr Gaut that she and their unborn baby would never return, and that she wanted to have their child adopted at birth.
“She started sending me adoption options for people she knew in Texas, and she sent me the links to the Instagram page,” he told ACA at the time.
“And I thought, ‘No, this is wrong, stop, don’t promise her to anyone.’
Dan flew to the US last month, where he was reunited with his daughter and planned to take her home to Australia.
Liv has been reunited with her ex-partner and plans to remain in Texas, but he says she had expressed interest in remaining a part of her daughter’s life.
“We don’t know how it will go, but she is very supportive of me bringing the baby to Australia,” he told ACA before the crushing change of heart.
a GoFundMe The crowdfunding campaign was set up by Mr Gaut’s friends to help with travel and immigration costs.
“I don’t know how I’m going to do this, but I do know that I will do everything I can to bring my daughter home and shower her with love and acceptance,” Gaut said on GoFundMe.
‘Every child needs to know that he or she is loved and wanted. I just want to be the best dad I can be. I want to be there for my little Ana every step of the way.”
The fundraiser had raised more than $34,000.
