The victims of family abduction
Sometimes I feel it is difficult to adequately display the true effects of family abduction. This post is the result. It is two sections devoted to those who have suffered a great deal as the direct result of parental kidnapping. The first is a memorial section to those who have died. The second is for children who were abducted after a homicide or otherwise suffered extremely while in the abductor’s care. Some are still missing in this section, and pseudonyms are used for the ones that are not dead. I have left out cases of parents killing children who were known to be missing unless the parent was formally charged with kidnapping.
In Memorium
Adam Jordan Haseeb (November 9, 1995 – March 10, 2004): Adam was abducted by his non-custodial father on May 31, 2000 and taken to Syria. He and his father were both killed in an explosion from a gas leak.
Ronald Jacob Simmons (October 22, 2002 – May or June 2003) : Ronald and his brother Jordan Coello were abducted by their non-custodial mother and Ronald’s non-custodial father on February 28, 2003. Jordan was located with their mother later that year, but Ronald and his father remained missing. Ronald was found to be deceased in February 2004. His father claimed he had died of natural causes in May or June. An autopsy determined this to be true; however it is not known whether he could have been saved with medical treatment.
Deirdre Crowley (August 11, 1995 – August 30, 2001) – Deirdre Crowley was abducted by her non-custodial father on December 4, 1999. They lived in Clonmel, Ireland until August 30, 2001, when her father received word the authorities had found them. He then shot Deirdre and committed suicide.
Lindsey D. and Samuel G. Porter (July 13, 1995 and August 27, 1996 – June 6, 2004): Lindsey and Samuel Porter were reported missing after a visitation with their father. He told their mother varying stories and was convicted of kidnapping them before he confessed to their murder and led authorities to their bodies in September 2007. He is now serving life in prison.
Amnerys Miranda (June 16, 2003 – December 22, 2004): Amnerys was abducted from her foster home along with her brother Giovannie by their non-custodial parents. She was beaten to death by them on the above date. Giovannie was located alive.
Agena and Aliyah Battle and Cedric Harrington (March 31, 2006 and June 5, 2004 – March 19, 2008): Agena and Aliyah Battle and Cedric Harrington were abducted by their non-custodial father on March 5, 2008. They were all found dead on March 19, 2008. Their father is believed to have killed them before killing himself. He was reportedly jealous of their mother’s fiancee.
Luis Osvaldo Cisernos (July 16, 1998 – February 20, 2003): Luis was abducted along with his sister Mariana by their non-custodial mother Martha Patlan, and her boyfriend Genero Dorantes on June 18, 2002. (Two siblings, Claudia and Martha, were left behind.) Their father reported them missing but the police said the joint custody agreement they had let the mother be with the children. Luis was found murdered on February 20, 2003. His body showed signs of extensive torture. Genero Dorantes and Martha Patlan were arrested for his murder and sentenced to life in prison. Mariana was found alive on February 25, 2006.
Duncan G. and Jack D. Connolly (October 17, 1999 and April 10, 2001 – March 30, 2009): Duncan and Jack Connolly were abducted by their non-custodial father on March 8, 2009. On March 30 they were found deceased with their father. It is believed to be a murder-suicide.
Ariana Socorro and Tyler Christopher Payne (October 18, 2002 and November 15, 2001 – September 2006): Ariana and Tyler Payne were abducted by their non-custodial father and later located in Arizona, but were not returned to their mother. They both died from starvation sometime in September 2006. Ariana’s remains were found in February 2007; Tyler’s have never been discovered.
Christopher Leo, Daniel Isiah, and Richard Anthony Sanchez (March 8, 1999, September 6, 1992, and June 4, 1989 – August 11, 2001): Christopher, Daniel, and Richard Sanchez were abducted by their non-custodial father on August 11, 2001. There was concern for their welfare as their father had been accused of raping a family member. All four were found deceased in June 2009, inside the father’s car in a lake. Whether the cause of death was an accident or a murder/suicide cannot be determined.
Diana Marcela Alagha (August 22, 1993 – October 30, 2006): She was abducted by her non-custodial mother on July 1, 1996. In September 2009, it was learned she had died on October 30, 2006, supposedly due to an infection from a badly set broken arm. Her left-behind father is looking into this.
Mitchell Romero (December 31, 2005 – November 5, 2009): He was abducted by his non-custodial father after the murder of his mother. They fled to Mexico and Mitchell later died in a car rollover while with an aunt and uncle. His father is still at large.
Alexander Sol Olive (May 16, 1981 – December 1985): He was abducted by his non-custodial father on November 9, 1985. His father was later located without him and was convicted of his murder. His remains have not been located.
Katelyn Selena Rivera-Helton (December 12, 1997 – August 10, 1999): She was abducted by her non-custodial father and murdered on the above date. Her father was convicted of her murder. but her remains have not been located.
Imran Zilic (June 2004 – April 23, 2008): He was abducted by his non-custodial father from Koondoola, Australia. His father was later located without him. His body was found in a mine shaft on May 2, 2008. His father was found not guilty of his murder by reason of insanity; his mother killed herself in June 2009.
Sophie Zanger (March 28, 2005 – June 19, 2009): She was abducted along with her brother by their non-custodial mother, who took them from Austria to Brazil. Her father fought for their custody in Brazilian courts, but custody was awarded to an aunt instead. Sophie died in a hospital of a head injury on June 19. She was revealed to have been severely beaten and malnourished. Her father has not been able to retrieve his son from the country.
Aja Danelle Johnson (January 5, 2003 – January 24, 2010): Aja was abducted by her non-custodial stepfather, Lester Hobbs, after the murder of her mother. They were both found deceased on March 30, 2010. He had killed Aja and then himself.
Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem (November 19, 2009 – February 16, 2010): Zara was abducted by her non-custodial father while her mother tried to get a restraining order against him. He was later found without her and confessed to throwing her in the Raritan River. Her remains were located on April 24, 2010.
Rebecca Nicole Aramburo (April 4, 1992 – September 21, 2001): Rebecca was abducted at gunpoint by her non-custodial mother on August 13, 2001, in front of her grandmother’s house where her father and stepmother were dropping her off. She had previously been abducted in 1994 by her mother and was found four years later. When police tracked her mother and her boyfriend to a campsite they slit Rebecca’s throat and then attempted suicide. Her mother was convicted of her murder; her boyfriend committed suicide in jail.
Deyan Perisic (June 8, 2000 – December 12, 2010): Deyan was abducted along with his sister Danyela by their non-custodial father on October 26, 2010. When authorities entered their hiding place on December 12, their father shot both children. Deyan was pronounced dead in the emergency room; his sister was critically injured but survived.
Georgina Ponce Novelo (November 26, 1995 – July 3, 1997): Georgina was abducted from her mother’s Los Angeles, California home by her non-custodial father on July 2, 1997. He traveled to Mexico with her. The next day, he shot her to death as well as a cab driver he had hired. He then set the cab on fire. He was located without her and later was convicted of her murder. Her remains have never been located.
Yazmina Acar (November 23, 2007 – November 18, 2010): Yazmina was abducted by her non-custodial father from her Melbourne, Australia home on November 18, 2010. After calling his ex-wife to tell her he was going to kill her, he stabbed her to death. He pled guilty to her murder.
Jan Rokos (December 2002 – December 9, 2007): Jan was abducted from his home in the Czech Republic by his non-custodial mother on May 25, 2007. She stated she would kill him before returning him to his father. He was found stabbed to death in the trunk of her car on December 27, 2007. She and her boyfriend were convicted of his murder.
Madeline Layla Samaan-Fay (December 22, 2008 – August 14, 2011): Madeline was abducted by her non-custodial father from Sacramento, California on August 7, 2011, shortly after her mother received full custody of her. They were found deceased in his vehicle on August 14, 2011. Murder-suicide is suspected.
Mira Ruth Athina and Yaanis Uri Athew Per Mellersh (April 20, 2005 and July 16, 2003 – November 18, 2011): Mira and Yaanis were abducted by their non-custodial mother from Bremen, Germany on February 1, 2010. On November 18, 2011 they were found deceased in Turkey. Their mother had killed them and then committed suicide.
Eowynne Galadriel Anderson (April 12, 2000 – 2004): Eowynne was abducted along with her brother Giovanni and sister Gisselle by their non-custodial mother from Lynnwood, Washington on March 29, 2004. Her left behind father found out she was deceased in January 2012; she had died of heart failure in Madrid less than a year after her abduction. Her siblings were found safe a year later.
Christophe Daniel Day (October 30, 1980 – 1998): Christophe was abducted by his non-custodial mother from Maryland in October 1984. He died of leukemia in 1998; a year later his father located his mother and discovered his son was dead.
Jesus Dominguez (November 5, 2009 – December 20, 2013): Jesus was abducted by his non-custodial father from Roswell, Georgia after the beating of his mother. They were both found deceased the next day. He had killed his son and committed suicide.
Cory Samuel Cole (August 8, 2013 – January 30, 2014): Cory was abducted by his non-custodial father after an allegation of abuse was received from Pulaksi, Virginia on January 27, 2014. He was found deceased three days later, a victim of homicide.
Amber Grace Lucius (August 18, 2005 – September 2, 2014): Amber was abducted by her non-custodial mother from Millet, Alberta, Canada on August 31, 2014. She was found murdered on September 3; the cause of death has not been released. Her mother has been charged with her murder.
Logan Habibovic (August 29, 2014 – June 9, 2015): Logan was abducted by his non-custodial father from Urbandale, Iowa on June 9, 2015. He was found deceased in Harrison County, Missouri later that day, inside the burned remains of his father’s car. His father was also found dead.
Ariellisa Yvette Simmons (February 11, 2013 – November 25, 2015): Ariellisa was abducted by her non-custodial stepmother from Richmond, Virginia on November 5, 2015. Her remains were found in a vacant apartment in Richmond on January 16, 2016. Her stepmother was arrested in New York and charged with her murder.
Maddox Lawrence (April 24, 2014 – February 20, 2016): Maddox was abducted by her non-custodial father from Syracuse, New York on February 20, 2016. He had threatened to kill himself and his daughter. He was located on February 22 and Maddox’s body was found in Onondaga Creek in Syracuse on February 23. He has been charged with her murder.
Kiara Dharmesh Ved (October 10, 2009 – April 29, 2016): Kiara was abducted by her non-custodial mother from Leawood, Kansas on May 25, 2011. She was found deceased in India on April 29, 2016, after being admitted to a hospital there on April 19 with a possible overdose.
Liliana Rene Hernandez and Rene Xavior Pasztor (September 30, 2008 and January 31, 2010 – September 26, 2016): Liliana and Rene were abducted by their non-custodial mother from their grandfather’s home in Fort Wayne, Indiana on September 26, 2016. They were found deceased in the back of their mother’s car later that day in Elkhart, Indiana. Their mother has been charged with their murder as well as a neighbor’s murder and is a suspect in the unsolved homicide of Lilliana and Rene’s father.
Evan Brewer (March 5, 2014 – July 6, 2017): Evan was abducted by his non-custodial mother from Wichita, Kansas in July 2017. His father had gained custody of him when she failed to appear in court or produce him. His remains were found in a concrete block on September 2, 2017. His mother and her boyfriend have been charged with his murder.
Jersey Arnett (January 31, 2002 – August 14, 2002): Jersey was abducted by her non-custodial mother from St. Ignace, Michigan on August 14, 2002. She had been living with an aunt after her mother had lost custody of her for drug abuse. Her mother is believed to have jumped from the Mackinac Bridge in a murder/suicide. Jersey and her mother’s remains have never been found.
Jody Minjarez (July 16, 2017 – February 19, 2018): Jody was abducted by his non-custodial father from Norman, Oklahoma on February 19, 2018. He was found deceased on March 6, 2018. His father has been charged with his murder.
Jovani Ligurgo (October 9, 2015 – June 6, 2018): Jovani Ligurgo was abducted by his non-custodial father from Long Island, New York on June 5, 2018. They were found deceased in Virginia on June 7, 2018. He had murdered his son and committed suicide.
Abdul-Ghani Noah Wahhaj (August 6, 2014 – December 24, 2017): Abdul-Ghani was abducted by his non-custodial father from East Point, Georgia on November 29, 2017. His remains were found in New Mexico on August 7, 2018. He apparently died from a seizure. His father has been charged with kidnapping and child abuse.
Riya Sophia Rajkumar (Fabruary 14, 2008 – February 14, 2019): Riya was abducted by her non-custodial father from Toronto, Ontario, Canada on February 14, 2019, her eleventh birthday. She was found deceased on February 15, a victim of homicide. Her father had killed her and later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Phillip Oliver Wiedemann (February 13, 2013 – August 23, 2019): Phillip was abducted by his non-custodial mother from Waxahachie, Texas on August 22, 2019. They were found deceased on August 23. Their deaths have been ruled murder/suicide.
John Weir (August 1, 2017 – September 20, 2019): John was abducted by his non-custodial father from Merced, California on September 20, 2019. They were found deceased on September 23. Their deaths have been ruled murder/suicide.
The Other Victims
Jessica Vargas Biatriz – abducted by her mother during a home invasion that killed her uncle. Still missing.
Jesus Alvarado Martinez – abducted by his father after the murder of his mother. Still missing.
Danielle Idaly Jimenez – abducted by her father after the murder of her mother. Still missing.
Tonya and Yasmin Salazar – abducted by their father, who is wanted on homicide charges. Still missing.
Luis Miguel and Mariel Encarnacion – abducted by their father after the murder of their mother. Still missing.
MB: Abducted by his grandmother in 2004. Was found almost one year later. In that period of time his mother committed suicide believing he would not be found.
CT and JT: Abducted by their mother in 2001. Taken to Mexico. “Returned” in 2005 by their mother, who dropped them off at the Texas-Mexico border to cross over by themselves. Were found trying to tunnel under the fence with their bare hands.
IB: Abducted by her mother for one year; returned severely malnourished. Abducted a second time and kept away for four years, and was abused by a boyfriend of the mother.
YC: Abducted by mother in 2004. Two weeks after abduction mother sent child by herself to the mother’s home country, to relatives she had never met. Found by father two years later.
BE: Father abducted child after killing of his mother in 2004. Found four years later after father was killed in shootout.
MR: Abducted at gunpoint by her father in 1987. Abandoned in Mexico with relatives. Found out she was abducted many years later, online.
Jesse Griffin-Sebuliba – I have written about him here and here.
RM – abducted by her aunt and cousin and taken to Mexico in 2007. Found begging for food in ragged clothing.
MR – abducted by mother in 2001. Found in 2007 in Mexico, where he was homeless and worked shining shoes instead of going to school.
AG and HG – abducted by their mother in 2007. Found eighteen months later living in a van. They were cold, dirty, and could not remember the last time they had eaten.
RC – abducted by his mother in 2007. Found two years later hidden in a four by twelve room the height of a washing machine. He told investigators he was never allowed to go outside.
TK – abducted by his mother in 2003. When he was found eighteen months later his left-behind father had died of cancer.
SS – abducted by her mother in 2004. Her mother was later killed in a shootout resulting from a hostage situation.
FC, KC, and OC – abducted by their father in 2008 after the murder of their mother. They were found with a relative in Mexico a year later. Their father is still at large.
KL and SL – abducted by their father in 2001. Found three months later abandoned in a hotel.
NF – abducted at gunpoint in 2002 by men hired by his mother. Found in a campground two days later.
BK – abducted in 2010 by mother and three men who beat his father into unconsiousness. Found safely twelve hours later.
LS – abducted by her father and half-brother in 2000. Found two years later living in the jungle in Costa Rica with no running water, electricity, or other people nearby.
AC and ARC – abducted by their parents in 2006 after the starvation death of a younger brother. Found in 2009 living in “deplorable” conditions with grandparents.
CK – abducted by her mother in 2008. Walked through a Central American jungle for thirty-six hours straight with her mother. Brought home in 2010.
HAH and TAH – abducted by their father in 2008. Found in an orphanage in Mexico two years later.
JO – abducted by his mother in 1992 after she attempted to murder his father by poisoning. Found in Mexico in 2000.
JC – abducted by his mother in 2010. Found in 2011 living in a tent.
BB, KB, MB, and TB – abducted by their mother in 2010. Found in 2011 living in a basement.
NP and NEP – abducted by their parents from foster care in 2011. Found living in a van a week later.
TA – abducted by his mother in 2009. His father died in 2012 without ever being reunited with him.
SS – abducted by her mother and her boyfriend in 2009. Returned home from Mexico in 2012 because of the boyfriend’s abusive behavior.
SG – abducted by his mother in 2002. Found eighteen months later out of the country, unable to do math or read a clock.
JHL – abducted by his mother in 2011 shortly after she committed a homicide. Returned to his father in 2012.
HH and HYH – abducted by their father in 2009 after he killed their mother and two other people. Found the next day after police standoff with father, who committed suicide.
SS – abducted by his parents in 2009. Found in 2011 undernourished and not getting treatment for his medical condtions.
ZB – abducted by his grandparents in 2011. Found in 2013 not speaking or eating.
ST – abducted in 2006 by his mother and her boyfriend, who killed the social worker who was supervising their visit. Found several weeks later.
DM, KM, ZM – abducted by mother in 1999. Found in 2006, not having attended school the whole time they were gone. Their mother had left them with an aunt some years ago.
LS – abducted by mother in 2010. Found in 2011. She reported constant physical abuse by her mother while in hiding.
PI – abducted by mother in 2014. Found in 2020 weighing less than she had at the time of her abduction.
These are of course not the only stories of interest; I will periodically update this post.