At the top of this week’s Star Magazine is a photo of a woman’s head taken from behind with the caption “Blanket’s mom.” All you can see is her blonde short hair and the leopard-print jacket she’s wearing. Star has the details and a clear photo of the woman online. They claim that the woman who gave birth to Jackson’s youngest son Blanket, 7, is none other than the mother of Norwegian singer Omer Bhatti, 25, rumored to be Jackson’s oldest child and “secret son.”

This story is complicated so I’ll recap. The news recently came out that Jackson might have a “secret son,” a boy who lived with him in Neverland off and on into 2001 or 2003 (according to some reports) and who was photographed with him as recently as 2004. Omer is said to think that he’s Michael Jackson’s biological son. His parents worked at Neverland and he was often seen hanging around Michael, wearing similar costumes. The detail that gave this rumor the most weight was the fact that Omer was photographed in the front row at Jackson’s funeral, right next to the family. Yesterday The Sun offered Omer’s physical resemblance to Blanket as mild evidence that he was Jackson’s child.

So Star is now claiming that Omer’s mom is also Blanket’s biological mother. Do they have anything to back this up or are they just grasping at straws?

It was one of the biggest mysteries of Michael Jackson’s life and has lingered since his sudden death — just who is the mother of his youngest child? Now, after weeks of investigation, sources tell Star in a world exclusive that Blanket’s mom is Pia Bhatti.

In our Aug. 3 issue — on sale now — we have the first photo of the one-time dental hygienist, who lives with her husband in a graffiti-riddled suburb of Oslo, Norway — miles from the glitz and glamour that surrounded the late singer — and refuses all requests for interviews.

“Pia was sworn to secrecy about Blanket,” says one close Jackson source. “Michael always liked the mystique. He never wanted anyone to know the truth about any of his children.”

So who brought together Michael and Pia? Her son, Omer, who dazzled Michael with his moonwalk in 1996 and became so close to the pop legend that within weeks the boy was touring with the singer. The pair often dressed alike, and for years Michael even claimed Omer was his son.

No one will officially confirm that Pia is Blanket’s mom, the source continues. “But you only had to see her with Blanket. She treated him as her own for one very good reason — he is.”

[From Star Magazine]

Does this mean that Omer isn’t Jackson’s son and is just a kid who admired him and became a trusted friend? MSNBC’s The Scoop has more on this story, and they claim that many people close to Jackson thought Omer was biologically his son. If he wasn’t, the rumor that he has the same mother as Blanket could easily explain the resemblance:

Although Bhatti appeared mysteriously and without explanation years before Jackson and Debbie Rowe had son Prince Michael, several family friends who protected the pop star’s privacy through the years say they accepted the idea Bhatti was a biological son.

“He looked so much like Michael, especially when he was younger. We have every reason to believe it’s his son,” said another family friend who met Bhatti.

As for how he’s being protected after Jackson’s death, all the family friends who spoke of Bhatti agree that part of the reason Katherine Jackson got such a large percentage of the estate was because she’d be providing for Bhatti as well.

Who is the mother?
Bhatti’s mother remains a mystery to the family. But one famous friend may know her identity.

“Elizabeth Taylor introduced Michael to the mother. That’s all anyone knows about her,” said a source who didn’t know Bhatti personally, but is close to Taylor.

“The one woman who knows everything there is to know about Michael Jackson and where his children came from is Elizabeth Taylor,” said a Jackson family friend of more than two decades. “But even though the mother isn’t clear, we all have every reason to believe Michael J is his son.”

If true, isn’t it odd that Jackson would keep the identity of his son secret for so long, and not tell other family members details of his birth? Perhaps not. Janet Jackson kept her nearly 10-year marriage to Rene Elizondo secret until divorce papers were filed.

[From MSNBC]

This story just keeps getting more complicated. We know the mother of Jackson’s two oldest children, but it’s still up to question whether he’s biologically their father. Now he may have another son from the as-of-yet unconfirmed mother of Blanket. Does this mean Blanket and Omer are half brothers or that they’re full brothers? If Blanket and Omer have the same mom, is Michael even Blanket’s dad? Will any of this be an issue when it comes to dividing Michael’s still massive estate?

Meanwhile there’s a criminal investigation underway in Jackson’s death. Cops raided the Houston office of his doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, yesterday while investigating a manslaughter charge. Apparently they needed to be investigating a felony in order to obtain the search warrant. An attorney quoted by MSNBC says that the investigation is likely to be “for involuntary manslaughter, which could occur in the commission of a lawful act, without due caution, that produces death in an unlawful manner.” It doesn’t look good for Murray.

Blanket is shown at his dad’s funeral on 7/7/09. Credit: WENN.com