Boys Returned After 18-Month Separation From Fathers

Louisiana couples may be following the recent experience of two California fathers. Both of their sons were taken to Europe by their mother and not returned. The fathers ended up going to France where a judge returned the boys to their fathers, and they flew back to the United States in December of 2013.

The mother had received permission to take her sons on a European vacation in mid-2012 but chose to extend the trip beyond the original month. After visiting various European countries, she and the boys settled in France. She enrolled the boys in a school under false names, and it was at their school where she was arrested.

When the boys were not returned home to California as scheduled, an international manhunt including the FBI, Interpol and local authorities resulted. The mother, a Slovakian woman and a legal resident of the U.S., claims that she was protecting one of the boys from violence that had been administered by his father. The French judge said that there was no evidence of violence from the man.

Divorcing couples may find that reaching an accord on child custody may be one of the more difficult and emotional steps of their divorce process. A family law attorney may be able to assure that the best interest of the child is always kept in the forefront and suggest alternatives for custody, support, visitations, vacations and holidays that will be agreeable to both parents. As the child ages, an attorney may also be able to make changes to a custody and support agreement to assure that it matches the changing needs of the child.

Source: Huffington Post, “Fathers Reunited With Their Kids 18 Months After Kidnapping“, Brenda Gazzar, December 30, 2013