by Guest » 27th June 2018, 07:33
Member of the public wrote :
> Dear Zambia,
>
> Orange County man reunited with kidnapped son 4 years later
> Friday, October 18, 2013
>
> CYPRESS, Calif. (KABC) - An Orange County man has been reunited with his
> son, who was kidnapped by his mother and taken to Africa four years ago.
>
> John Cotton Sr. married 34-year-old Silvia Chilombo Mulenga, a native of
> Zambia, in 2005, but the couple divorced in 2008. They had joint custody of
> their 4-year-old son, John Cotton Jr.
>
> In 2009, Mulenga lost her job, was evicted from her home and her visa had
> expired. When she told the court she intended to return to Zambia, a court
> order was issued prohibiting her from taking the child. Mulenga allegedly
> ignored the court order and took the child to Zambia in December 2009
> during her weekend visitation.
>
> "The clothes were gone, most of the furniture was gone, and I knew
> then what most likely had happened," John Cotton Sr. said.
>
> He says his ex-wife used a falsified passport to smuggle their son from
> Anaheim to Zambia. The abduction was reported to the Cypress Police
> Department on Dec. 4, 2009. To the father's horror, Zambia does not have
> any treaty that would help him get his son back.
>
> "I almost lost it," he said.
>
> After an investigation of the case, a family court awarded full custody to
> the father. The FBI learned in July 2013 that the child and the boy's
> grandmother traveled to the Netherlands to visit the boy's uncle, who is a
> professional soccer player. John Cotton Sr. rushed there with court orders
> from the Orange County D.A. and the state department.
>
> "I would pray each night in hope that something positive would come
> out, and eventually, I would have my son," he said.
>
> Dutch authorities took the child, and after more than three months of court
> proceedings in the Netherlands, John Cotton Sr. was allowed this week to
> retrieve his son, who is now 8 years old. The father and son returned to
> California Wednesday.
>
> "It's like a dream come true," he said. "This place is no
> longer just a house. It's a home."
>
> It's a new life that comes with new adjustments. John Cotton Jr. misses
> Zambia.
>
> "Sometimes I would play on the grass, running barefoot; sometimes I
> would ride my bike on the road," the boy said.
>
> Cotton says they will both get counseling from the National Center for
> Missing and Exploited Children, helping his son learn that above all, he is
> a boy loved by both parents. His dad is now making up for lost time.
>
> The child's mother was charged with one felony count of child abduction,
> but she was never extradited because in Zambia, parental abductions are not
> against the law. If she should return to the U.S., she could face arrest
> for kidnapping and falsifying government documents.