Aug 31, 2009 10:54 pm US/Central
Dad Learns That Few Kidnappings Involve Strangers
(WCCO)
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Brian Geraghty said his sons, Sean and Sam, were taken by their mother when she skipped a custody hearing. They were found in Florida.
CBS
Their stories often make headlines -- children stolen from those who love them.
Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped from her home in California 18 years ago. She was reunited with her parents last week.
Here in Minnesota, Jacob Wetterling was grabbed while riding his bike home from the store in St. Joseph nearly 20 years ago. He has never been found.
These stories tugged at people's hearts and played on their fears. One Twin Cities dad learned that it's not always strangers who steal children.
Brian Geraghty knows first-hand the pain associated with not knowing where one's children are.
"It's one of the most horrible experiences, I think, a person can go through is no matter who it is, someone taking your children out of their lives," said Geraghty.
His boys, 3-year-old Sam and 1-and-1/2-year-old Sean were taken from him by their mother, who he does not want to name.
"She basically did not show up to a custody hearing that was scheduled to take place on the 20th of July," said Geraghty.
Prior to that, Geraghty said she wouldn't allow him to visit with the children for two weeks. He contacted Brooklyn Park Police and with the help of the family court system in Hennepin County, tracked down the children and their mother.
"Her license plate was run in Fort Myers, Fla. which obviously was a shock and very upsetting to find out your boys are 1,700 miles away," said Geraghty.
Even though the children's mother had dyed her own and the oldest child's hair, they were found. The children were returned to Geraghty, who was awarded legal custody.
Carol Watson, executive director of Missing Children Minnesota said most people don't realize that this is the most common form of abduction.
"You can't put a face to it. You can't say 'this is who you need to watch out for' because it could be someone who appears to be very trustworthy, even a family member," said Watson.
She said across the nation more than 200,000 children a year are abducted by a non-custodial parent. Just 115 are victims of stranger abduction.
Watson said children need to know who is responsible for taking care of them.
"Then if anyone else approaches that child and wants to give the child something or wants the child to go someplace with them, at that point what we tell children is the appropriate response is 'I have to ask first,'" said Watson
Watson said teaching children this will help save some parents from going through what Geraghty has experienced.
Geraghty said he has talked to a counselor who told him that his boys are very young and their time away from him most likely won't affect them.
His boys have been back home with him for about two weeks and so far, he said, they seem to be adjusting fine.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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