A short while ago I got off the telephone with a tearful grandfather who shared with me details concerning his daughter's children, his grandchildren, and what is clearly a planned international parental child abduction.
As I, along with many international parental child abduction prevention activists from all over the world have been saying, Christmas is the time of year when many children are internationally abducted.
Here's a little piece of what has gone on:
1. The couple divorced a year ago after the husband was found having multiple affairs.
2. The mother has full custody of the children.
3. The father has bi-monthly visitation.
4. Mom is a U.S. citizen.
5. The father has duel citizenship, including citizenship from a country in South America not on best terms with the U.S.
6. The father recently sold his home without informing his ex-wife, which is a violation of the custody order.
7. The father is now very liquid.
8. The father has sold his two cars.
9. The father has traveled to his country of origin often.
10. The father may have non-U.S. passports for his children as they have duel citizenship.
11. The father was supposedly taking them on a vacation, however, the grandfather literally called every hotel in the area they were supposedly traveling to and were not able to find a reservation in the children's father's name.
12. The father has previously made threats to the children's mother that she would one day not see his children again.
13. The father is a computer consultant with no permanent employment ties, has limited material possessions, his highly liquid, and is a citizen of a foreign country.
14. And he is expected to pick up the girls on Monday.
Am I very concerned? You bet.
