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SAN BERNARDINO, California (AP) — A Southern California mother whose two children were reported missing 15 years ago has tracked them down in Florida using Facebook.
The children's father, Faustino Utrera, took off with them in 1995 when they were ages 2 and 3, said Deputy District Attorney Kurt Rowley. The mother had found her daughter's Facebook profile after searching for her name on the social networking site in March, Rowley said.
An official said Saturday that the now 17-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy have been placed in the custody of the state of Florida.
Mom finds missing children using Facebook - USATODAY.com
The article indicates that when found, the daughter indicated that she did not want to re-establish a relationship with her mother. This brings up an interesting dilemma. The father's actions are certainly criminal and in most, if not all cases, regardless of the custody situation, custody would be given to the mother. However, these children have lived for 15 years in the scenario that they have, creating lives where they live. So, should they remain where they are, or should they go and live with their mother, who has legal custody? To me, I think a compromise would be in order. To not disrupt the lives of the children, they should remain where they are, for now. Of course, not with their father, but with some court appointed legal guardian. The mother should be given visitation, and the family should be given counseling with someone familiar with family re-unification. From there, it should be determined how to proceed.
What do you all think and what do you all think should happen?