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Viral: Toddler Kidnapped by Father, Never to Be Seen Again. But Then a Knock on Door 21 Years Later

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The abduction was so complete that…

Viral: Toddler Kidnapped by Father, Never to Be Seen Again. But Then a Knock on Door 21 Years Later

When we leave our homes, we lock the doors expecting the small blockade to protect against external threats aimed at stealing our belongings. But, what if the threat comes from the inside?

Maria Mancia’s nightmare began on a night in 1995 when she returned to home in Rancho Cucamunga, California. The place was ransacked and the culprit had taken off with Mancia’s most prized possession: her 18-month-old little boy.

Along with the missing child, all pictures and identifying paperwork on the child had been taken from the house. It did not take officials long to deduce that the boy had been kidnapped by his father, Valentin Hernandez.

Despite valiant and persistent efforts, the boy and the fugitive father could not be found. With no new information, the case was classified as “cold” and drifted aimlessly around they system until it finally landed on the desk of San Bernardino Country District Attorney’s Child Abduction Unit.

Meanwhile, a mother was left without her first-born child. The abduction was so complete that Mancia had to contact a family member in El Salvador to get a single picture of her missing boy.

She carried that picture faithfully hoping that one day she would get an answer to the $64,000 question: what happened to her boy? Then, suddenly, a tip received by the Child Abduction Unit cracked the case wide open.

A tip indicating that the missing boy, now 22-year-old Steve Hernandez, was residing in Puebla, Mexico, panned out. Unsure of what the stolen child knew of his past, investigators moved carefully to avoid spooking the man before any confirmation could be made.

Under unspecified circumstances, Hernandez’s father went missing and is presumed dead. Under the guise of possibly locating his father, Hernandez willingly gave a DNA sample. It was then compared to a sample on file submitted by Mancia.

Tragically, if an abducted child is not immediately located, their chances for a safe return dwindle exponentially as time passes. Calling successful reunification after 21 years a long-shot would be the understatement of the year.

Not wanting to needlessly shatter an innocent man’s life, or rail the hopes of a long-searching mother, investigators decided to conduct the inquiry without the knowledge of either party. Weeks after sending the samples off, even they were shocked to see that they were a match!

“Some detectives came to my house, and at first I was scared because I didn’t know what was going on, but then they told me they found him. They found Steven,” Mancia told the San Bernardino Sun. Investigator Karen Cragg, who drove out to Mancia to deliver the miraculous news, reported to AP that Mancia could not believe her son was still alive.

Growing up, Hernandez had been told that his mother had abandoned him and his father. Upon learning the truth he reflected, “I didn’t know if she was alive or not and to get a call that says they found and that she had been looking for me, it was like a cold bucket of water. But it’s good. It’s good.”

Hernandez, a natural-born American citizen, was brought back to California where he was reunited with Mancia at the San Bernardino DA’s office. “Now this anguish that I’ve carried is gone now that I have my son back,” Mancia told KABC-TV who’d come out to capture the tender first moments.

Hernandez was excited to meet his four younger siblings and looks forward to getting to know each of them. An aspiring law student, Hernandez hopes to go to law school here in the states and has no intentions of returning to Mexico.

At a time where bad news dominates headlines, it’s refreshing to catch examples that remind us not all stories have tragic endings. Here’s to many happy years getting to know one another.

Source: www.liftable.com

…searched the woods for hours…

Viral: Mom Wakes to 2-Year-Old Missing. Rescuers Find Footprints, But Toddler’s Aren’t the Only Ones

Chelsea Nobel woke with a start, not knowing exactly what was wrong. She looked over to where her son had been lying next to her, and found him gone.

She searched the house and called his name, but no one answered. Nobel alerted the police, and they set out on their search.

MS Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries agents going into the woods to search for missing child

Police and residents of the area searched the woods for hours, but couldn’t find the missing boy, 2-year-old William Odom. All they police could find were little footprints walking through the woods.

William wasn’t alone on his journey, though. Police found a second set of footprints every time they saw William’s.

This area that leads down to the stream has just been taped off: Jonathan Brannan’s Twitter

Those footprints that had been alongside little William’s did not belong to a human. They were of his dog.

Because of the two sets of footprints, police believed that William had wandered off into the woods with his dog. He became lost, but the pooch never abandoned him.

Hours later, another boy named Blake Carroll got home from school and heard the horn of one of the old trucks on his uncle’s property. He approached cautiously, and saw a dog pacing alongside the vehicle, scratching at the door.

When Blake looked inside the truck, he saw the missing toddler, crying and pressing on the horn. Blake told William that everything was going to be alright, and he went over and got his uncle to help.

Hugh Keeton ✔ @HughKeeton
Truck where missing boy was found safe about a mile from his home.

Blake’s uncle got William out and immediately notified police. They came with paramedics to make sure William was okay.

Although he was a quarter mile away from home, William didn’t suffer any severe injuries on his journey. He had some mosquito bites, cuts, and bruises, but nothing that would last longer than a few days.

William was diagnosed with autism, which is one of the reasons he may not have responded as rescue teams called his name. Nobel is just happy to have her son back home where he belongs.

The whole time William was missing, his dog never left his side. “Every time we found his footprint, we found the dog footprint right beside him. So the dog traveled with him all day,” Sheriff Troy Peterson said.

“When the little boy was found the dog was still circling the truck and scratching on the truck,” he added. What a true companion this dog was in a time of need.

These photos could melt even the coldest of hearts!

Heart Warming: Your Adorable Ember Roloff Baby Book

Ember Roloff Baby Photos

“I seriously think this is one of the most beautiful photos we’ve ever taken,” said Audrey about the moment captured right after Ember’s birth.

Ember Jean Roloff was born on September 10th, 2017.

They named her Ember partly because the new parents fell in love around a campfire.

After a few weeks, Audrey described Ember as rambunctious, a kicker, but also a great cuddler!

Ember’s cousin Jackson, Zach and Tori’s son, is only four months older!

Audrey chose natural labor for Ember’s birth.

Audrey and Jeremy have also said they hope Ember is “a little fiery one.”

Apparently little Ember already loves to practice her singing!

Could she be any cuter?

Jeremy’s said he loves the perspective shifts that come with being a new dad.

15 AMAZING KIDS BEDROOM IDEAS & DESIGNS

Designing a child’s room or bedroom can be a hard task, as you’ll have to consider lots of aspects. First of all, the room has to be a safe environment for a child. Second of all, you should incorporate fun elements in the room and your child’s favorite activities. So if your child loves to read, then here are some great ideas about how to transform his or her room into a bedroom with a reading corner.

Some of the ideas can be put into practice in smaller rooms too, so you don’t have to worry if the space available is tinier. One of our favorite ideas is the small house structure created inside of the room, with a cool side bench that is perfect to be used as a reading corner.