Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Lost kids found on Facebook

It used to be that a parent could just run off with the kids to Mexico:
In an interview, Sagala recounted how Utrera took the children and fled to Mexico in 1995, when her son and daughter were just toddlers. ... It's unclear now why the case wasn't pursued by prosecutors in 1995, but Deputy District Attorney Kurt Rowley said it's unlikely Mexico would have extradited Utrera at the time.
Now, it is a different story for three reasons. (1) Countries are much more likely to extradite the kidnapper and the kids. (2) Kids can sometimes be found on the internet, even in a country like Mexico. (3) The case may be muddied by some ancient and unverified abuse allegation.
The Indonesian-born nursing assistant was rewarded for her faith earlier this year, when she stumbled on her daughter's Facebook page in a story that made national headlines.

But in the four months since that discovery, Sagala's unbridled joy has slowly turned to anguish. The case has led to the public airing of years-old domestic allegations against Sagala - information that will likely be used in court - and her now-teenaged children want nothing to do with her.
As always, the case can still be sabotaged by some over-opinionated govt social worker.

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