The disabled 8-year-old daughter of a Texas woman who’s been missing since early March can get mental health treatment while in her grandmother’s custody, a judge ruled Wednesday.

KTXS reported that a judge granted Andreen McDonald’s mother, Hyacinth Smith, control of her granddaughter’s education and medical treatment and denied a similar request made by the girl’s grandfather, who is the missing woman’s father. Andreen’s husband, Andre McDonald, is out on bond on evidence tampering charges and is barred from seeing his daughter.

“The little girl’s mom is gone we don’t know where she is. The little girl’s dad doesn’t have the right to be around her or talk to her,” Smith’s lawyer said. “She’s eight years old and her parents of been taken away. That’s going to cause trauma.”

How do you protect your children from predators? Join Nancy Grace and a team of world-class experts for the online course ‘Justice Nation: Crime Stops Here’.

According to court documents obtained by the San Antonio Express-News, two friends who reported Andreen missing discovered a burn pile in the back of the McDonalds’ home and blood and hair on a light switch located inside the couple’s master bedroom. A search of the home reportedly uncovered human blood in the bathroom.

Andre, an Air Force major, was criminally charged for allegedly destroying two receipts which showed he bought an ax, shovel, heavy-duty trash bags, work gloves, and gasoline around the time of his wife’s March 1 disappearance. Authorities suspect Andre was planning to dispose of Andreen’s body but didn’t have the chance to do so, according to KENS.

Reports indicated that authorities believe the couple’s daughter—who is autistic—witnessed her father kill her mother.

Late last month, a San Antonio judge awarded custody of the 8-year-old to Smith. According to KSAT, a counselor at the girl’s school testified that she’s become hostile and unhappy since her mother’s disappearance.

“The child has taken Play-Doh utensils and cuts up the Play-Doh, saying, ‘I’m going to cut you up and you’re going to die,'” the counselor said. “[She] has told other children that she wants to burn them.”

Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most – your children.

[Featured image: Andreen McDonald/Bexar County Sheriff’s Office]