Facebook.com, the popular social networking site with nearly 600,000 new members per day, has gained a reputation as the most useful online tool for keeping in touch with friends worldwide. But a recent kidnapping case has shown that the site's usefulness goes far beyond simply knowing what your friends are doing this weekend.
A Southern California mother was recently able to locate her long-lost children by using the popular site. Prince Segala of San Bernardino spent the last 15 years without her two children, ages three and two, after they went missing from her California home in October 1995. Authorities launched a widespread search for the father, Faustino Utrera, but he and the children were never found. The police file began to collect dust along with many other unsolved kidnapping cases nationwide involving custody disputes.
Segala persistently searched for her children on the Internet and various social networking sites. In March 2010, she came across a Facebook profile that was created by her now 17-year-old daughter. More than thrilled, she contacted the girl and began writing messages back-and-forth with her.
Despite her excitement, it was a less-than-joyful reunion. After a number of exchanges, the girl decided that she did not want further contact with her mother and she deleted her profile from Facebook. However, the few exchanged messages were enough for investigators to revive the case. The San Bernardino prosecutors' office then filed charges of kidnapping and violating child custody orders against Utrera, and issued a warrant for his arrest.
Ten days after reopening the case, authorities were able to locate Utrera and the children in the Palm Beach area of Florida, where the three were residing in a trailer park. Police apprehended Utrera while waiting at a bus stop for his now 16-year-old son to arrive from school.
Currently, the children are in the custody of family friends while criminal charges are being pieced together against Utrera and until a formal plan to reintroduce the children to their mother is established. An extradition hearing is set for July in California.
According to a recent report, nearly 200,000 children are kidnapped in the U.S. annually, in many cases by one of the parents. Custody disputes can be complex and divisive, but an experienced divorce attorney can help parents assert their rights and protect their families.
