According to authorities, a 12-year-old boy was abducted by his mother in Anaheim Hills. The victim’s father reportedly has custody of the child, with the mother being granted supervised visits.
The boy’s mother reportedly went to the supervised visit on April 6, assaulting the visitation monitor before snatching the boy and fleeing. Police reported that the woman’s vehicle was found at LAX. They apparently learned that the woman and the 12-year-old boy had boarded a flight bound for Chicago.
The boy’s mother and father are reportedly going through a bitter divorce and custody battle. The victim’s father stated that the woman had said several times she wished to move and was looking for work elsewhere. He did not know why she would have went to Chicago, however, as she apparently does not have family there. Police said they expect to file felony parental kidnapping charges against the mother when she is located. The father said he never thought she would do something like this.
A custody dispute may be especially bitter and filled with emotion. People who are going through a child custody case should remember that their child’s best interests are the most important consideration. When a court issues a child custody order in which one parent is granted only supervised visitation, that usually indicates the court believes the child’s safety may otherwise be in jeopardy if the visits were unsupervised. When a person violates the child custody order, fleeing and taking the child out of state, they may then face criminal prosecution for kidnapping. If convicted, the parent may then be incarcerated. If people are unhappy with their custody orders, it is better to seek a modification than to violate the orders.
Source: CBS Los Angeles, “Police: Mother abducts 12-year-old son after bitter divorce,” April 6, 2015.