A doctor in Texas has been part of a five-year custody battle in which his son ended up out of the country with his former in-laws. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested the former in-laws, according to a report from Feb. 12, and the now 8-year-old boy may soon be coming back to America.
The news reports that the man's former in-laws, a 67-year-old man and 65-year-old woman, were allegedly part of a plot against the man. They, along with his ex-wife, supposedly conspired to take the boy and keep the man away from his son. The couple now faces federal charges for conspiracy and parental kidnapping.
The couple's attorney claims that they had nothing to do with keeping the boy in the country and that it should be up to Brazil to decide where the child lives. However, the story doesn't start in Brazil, despite the fact that a judge gave the man's ex-wife sole legal custody without contacting the boy's father.
In July 2013, the man's ex-wife took their son to Brazil for a wedding. She was meant to return on July 20, but she never did. The FBI determined that the woman had premeditated the abduction, going as far as to enroll the boy in school for the 2013-2014 school year. She was also offered a job there.
Situations like this one are far too common. If you feel that your ex-spouse could be a threat to your relationship with your child, make sure you let your attorney know. There are ways to protect your child from being taken from you.
Source: ABC News, "Texas dad hopeful of son's return from Brazil after former in-laws jailed in 5-year international custody battle," Bill Hutchinson and Sabina Ghebremedhin, Feb. 12, 2018