CRI experts say child abduction generally falls into one of three categories:
Parental Abduction: a parent, family member, or agent acting for the parent takes a child instead of returning the minor to his or her legal custodian.
Stranger Abduction: Children taken from home or somewhere else, or unlawfully detained by someone who is not a parent, relative, or legal guardian, without knowledge or against the wishes of a parent or guardian.
Voluntary missing: "Runaways and throwaways" children and youth who have run away from home on their own, or children who have been rejected or abandoned by their families, and are homeless.
If your child is missing...
Don't wait!
Call 911 for an Amber Alert if applicable
Call CRI at 1-866-KID-FIND (543-3463)
What to do...
Limit the traffic into your home
Do not allow anyone into your child's room
Try not to touch anything in your child's room until CRI personnel arrives.
Try to locate your child's cell phone
Do not power on your child's computer or laptop
Make a list of your child's friends and relatives - addresses and phone numbers
Wait for help to arrive.
At CRI, we offer different levels of support operations:
Intelligence Gathering
Information Specialists/Skip Tracing
Evidence Procurement
Interview/Evaluation
Surveillance Special Ops
Non-Combatant Evacuation Ops
Domestic Support
International Operations
Maritime/Land/Air transport
We understand that your case investigation needs to be tailored to local circumstances and must be dynamic and changing as the mission evolves. We are sensitive to your concerns and act in accordance with our operational involvement with interests for either domestic or foreign operations.
Our obligation to achieve a successful conclusion for recovery and re-unification is to use all necessary means available to take all appropriate action and in keeping in mind the safety of all concerned.
Here at CRI, we do nationwide recovery of missing persons - whether they are from California, New York City or anywhere in between. We are known for child recovery services anywhere in the United States, Canada and in dozens of other countries.
If you need help locating a missing person from New York or any other part of the United States and Canada, we will use our expertise and experience in locating that person. We maintain affordable prices for all of our clients. Contact us today to find out how we can help you find your missing loved one.
When it comes to parental abductions, a high volume of these, usually end up with one parent taking the child or children to a foreign country of a parent's country of birth or origin where they feel safe and under the protection of the laws of that country. You may feel that you have no where to turn and was refused cooperation by State officials right here in the United States or elsewhere. We can help. Even the Hague Convention where you applied has not intervened while you waited the 6 months for something to happen. Stop spending money on domestic & foreign lawyers who are draining your resources and not delivering on their promises.
Here are the steps you need to take under the auspices of parental abduction:
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
Contact your local police, file a missing person's report, and request that your child's name be entered into to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computer database. This is a mechanism provided to you by the Federal National Child Search Act of 1990, Make this report and enter your child in NCIC even if you think you know where your child is located in another country. If your local law enforcement is unaware of the legal requirements for immediate entry into NCIC, please let our office know. We will contact the law enforcement agency and provide them with information that may assist you.
Note:It is not always a good idea to file criminal charges against the abducting parent at this time.
If you are not sure about where your child was taken, locating your child is the top priority. Frequently, the abducting parent goes to great lengths to keep this location hidden, such as changing the name of the child. You are not alone, however, in this search. At CRI, we have the resources available to help you find your child. Our office will work to access these resources to try to locate your child as quickly as possible.
First, please read the information on this page and learn about possible solutions to an international parental child abduction. After reviewing these options, we invite you tocontact us. We are experts on international parental child abduction. Our case officers understand what works in different countries and are available to respond to your questions and offer a variety of resources. In addition, we recommend consulting with an attorney. Finding an attorneyis usually an important part of resolving an international parental child abduction case.
Q: I have a U.S. court order granting me sole custody of my child. Can I rely on my U.S. court order and remove my child from a foreign country without facing criminal and/or civil sanctions in that foreign country?
A: As a general matter no. Courts in other countries often do not automatically recognize orders from foreign courts, including orders from U.S. courts. Some countries may have a process through which a foreign court order may be recognized. In order to determine whether your U.S. custody order can be formally recognized by another country’s judicial system, you should retain an attorney licensed to practice law in that country. A custody order in the United States may therefore be ineffective abroad—even a U.S. custody order that grants you sole legal and physical custody of your child. The U.S. Government does not have the authority to represent you or otherwise participate in judicial proceedings in foreign courts.
So what does this mean?
Consult with an attorney licensed to practice in the jurisdiction in which you would like your U.S. court order recognized.Finding an attorneyis usually a very important part of attempting to resolve an international parental child abduction case. An attorney can help you understand what is legally possible in another country and what effect, if any, your U.S. order may have. Your attorney should also be able to advise you of the potential criminal or civil actions that could be taken against you if you attempt to remove your child from a country that may or may not recognize your U.S. court order.
Attempts to travel to the other country and bring your child back to the United States could endanger your child and you. This is true even if you have a U.S. custody order. In fact, you could end upin a foreign prison. What you may view as your legal right may in fact be viewed by a foreign country’s authorities as an abduction. Therefore,we strongly discourage youfrom taking possibly illegal self-help measures to return your child to the United States. As a result of such self-help measures, you could become the subject of a criminal warrant or face other civil sanctions. In a Hague Abduction Conventionpartner country, you could become the subject of a return action in court under the Hague Abduction Convention.
Even if your custody order from the United States has no legal authority in another country, it still might assist you. Sometimes that custody order can be persuasive in a foreign court. The foreign court may consider it as evidence. It can also assist you with pursuing possible criminal charges in the United States.
Taking Care of Yourself and Your Family
Parental child abduction is a tragedy that has long-term consequences for both the child and the left-behind parent. When a child is abducted across international borders, the difficulties are compounded for everyone involved.
Difficulties for Left-Behind Parents
For left-behind parents, the trauma begins when they return home to find that the other parent has left and taken the children, or when they allow the children to travel abroad to visit the other parent, only to find that they do not return. Left-behind parents encounter substantial psychological, emotional, and financial problems. They may be paralyzed by helplessness and the sense that they have no idea where to start in the process of recovering their child. When the child has been abducted across international borders, the left-behind parent may face unfamiliar legal, cultural, and linguistic barriers.
Left-behind parents experience a wide range of emotions including betrayal, the loss of their child and/or their marriage, anger against the other parent, anxiety, sleeplessness, and severe depression.
Finding Support
Although international parental child abduction has far-reaching consequences, its significance is not widely understood. Left-behind parents may have difficulty finding the support that they need and getting legal assistance. At CRI - you will find the compassion and sensitivity much needed in situations like this.
Reuniting With Your Child
Reuniting with your child can be a powerful and emotional event, especially if the reunification takes place after a prolonged period of time. You and your child will no doubt be experiencing a wide range of emotions around this important occasion. Your case officer can provide you advice about reunification, and can help coordinate U.S. and foreign government authorities' involvement..
Reunification Resources
Reunification Counselors– Many left-behind parents find it helpful to use the services of a reunification counselor to help guide them through the process. Child Recovery International maintains a list of reunification counselors. If you think you might benefit from their assistance, ask CRI to put you in touch with one of these experts.
