We can’t bear to think of what it must be like to lose your child and spend 21 years wondering where in the world they are, and so our hearts are going out to US mum Maria Mancia this week.
Yesterday, Maria was reunited with her son who was abducted and taken to Mexico by his father 21 years ago.
According to reports, Maria was living in California with her partner, Valentin Hernandez, and their 18-month-old son, Steve, back in 1995 when the abduction took place. The couple had been experiencing relationship problems, and Valentin is said to have fled the home and headed to Mexico with Steve.
The San Bernardino County District Attorney General’s Child Abduction Unit launched a search for toddler Steve, but he was never found.
The team continued on with the search over the years, but it wasn’t until February of this year that they received a tip-off informing them that the now-22-year-old Steve was living in Mexico.
Rialto mother reunited with son 20 years after his abduction: https://t.co/RB7GNwWMLX pic.twitter.com/dHVRwrNBnr
— SB District Attorney (@sbcountyda) June 9, 2016
One of the lead investigators, Karen Cragg, told the Associated Press that the team ‘had to tread carefully’ in order to break the news to Steve and get his DNA.
Once they confirmed Steve’s identity, the Attorney General’s Office arranged for Steve to travel to California and reunite with his mother. As you can imagine, the meeting – which took place on Thursday morning – was an incredibly emotional experience for them both.
It is believed that Valentin Hernandez, meanwhile, has passed away.
Steve told local media outlet NABC News that Valentin previously told him his mother had abandoned them both. Clearly overwhelmed by the situation, he said: "I lived all these years without my mother, then to find out she's alive in another country, it's emotional.”
What an ordeal for them both. We’re wishing them all the best following this emotional rollercoaster.
