Parental kidnapping | Risk factors

There must be something in the water. I've successfully assisted 6 parents whose children have been kidnapped in the past 12 months, with most children being in protective custody within a matter of hours. Yesterday I fielded two inquiries about parental kidnappings. Today, the Boston Globe described an unusual parental kidnapping involving a child who, after a bitter divorce, resides in  London with her mother. Reigh Storrow Boss was kidnapped by her father, Clark Rockefeller during the first of scheduled supervised visitations in Boston. He had not seen her since last December. Parental kidnappings are a risk where, as in Rockefeller's divorce case, one parent has been deprived of custody by a court and has been deprived of visitation for long periods of time.

Left: Clark Rockefeller of Beacon Hill with his daughter, Reigh, 7. (Boston Police Department Handout)

An Amber alert has been issued for the child. Reigh's name was changed from Rockefeller to Boss, her mother's last name, during the divorce. She and her father had had no contact since December.

Parents who, like Rockefeller, feel alienated by the legal system are more likely to kidnap their children.

Researchers have identified some common risk factors for parental abduction. Several of them fit Reigh Boss' case.

The likelihood of an interstate or international abduction may be increased where there is evidence a parent has:

• previously abducted the child or threatened to do so;
• no strong ties to the child’s home state;
• citizenship in another country and strong emotional/cultural ties to the country of origin
• a strong support network;
• no financial reason to stay in the area, e.g., the parent is unemployed, able to work anywhere, or is financially independent;
• engaged in planning activities (e.g., quit a job, sold a home, terminated a lease, closed a bank account or liquidated other assets, hid or destroyed documents,
• applied for passport, birth certificate, school or medical records
• a history of marital instability, a lack of parental cooperation; domestic violence or child abuse
• a prior criminal record.

Rockefeller was walking on a sidewalk near the Boston Public Gardens with the child and a social worker after a few hours of supervised visitation. According to the Globe, a man driving a black SUV pulled alongside them, Rockefeller shoved the social worker out of the way, grabbed Reigh and put her in the SUV. The vehicle then rushed away. It is feared that Rockefeller may be attempting to escape with her in a 72-foot yacht named Serenity.

You may read SUV, yacht part of kidnap plot, say police in the Boston Globe here. A one-time registration may be required.

Additional Resource: Parental Kidnapping: Prevention and Remedies. Patricia M. Hoff, Legal Consultatant to the American Bar Association, Center on Children & the Law, Washington, D.C. Revised December 2000.   

See also earlier entries on Updates in Michigan Family Law discussing parental kidnapping.

If your child has been kidnapped, contact Jeanne M. Hannah. You'll find information about her experience helping parents of children who have been kidnapped on her website http://parental-kidnapping.com

Comments

[Jeanne M Hannah]

Hello Gary,

The issues in your query are so complicated that you will need to schedule a fee-based consult.

Jeanne M. Hannah

[Gary Goidosik]

Trying to prevent Family Ct Judge from requiring Mom to "consent" for passport for 6 yr old daughter for visitaion with father who returned to native Brazil-he left to avoid deportation for domestic violence. Any cites that federal law preempts -ie state court can't "order reluctant parent to sign?