Children found gives hope to many left behind parents

We hear stories all the time about missing children being found. It gives hope to the many many parents who have been left behind, either because their child has been abducted by a stranger or by a parent or family member.

Only this week 3 young women were found after being missing for some 10 years. See this link

Two weeks ago 11 year old Reya Lunetta was found in Australia after being abducted by her mother some 10 years ago. See post below.

Joe Chisholm was reunited with his daughter after being abducted by her mother some 18 years ago. See this link

In 2003, 10 years after they disappeared, three girls aged 12, 16 and 18 were reunited with their mother after their father abducted them from Canada to Beirut. See this link

Jasmine Olleik was found in December 2012. See this link

8 year old Deonna Shipman was found in March 2012 after being missing for 4 years. See this link

Andrew Mosier was found in November 2011. See this link

4 year old Hannah El-Settawy was found in 2011 after being taken by her father from Germany to Egypt then to the USA. I met up with Hannah's mother in Germany mid 2010 prior to Hannah being found.

Henry Da Massa was reunited with his daughter Pearl after 3 years. See this link

The list goes on.

Our thoughts go out to all the left behind parents and the children who have been abducted.

Reya Lunetta found in Australia

Today Tonight by Laura Sparkes. Brozzi Lunetta has finally found his daughter safe and well in Australia after searching for ten years around the world for her. More information and video footage at this link http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/latest/article/-/16869363/reya-found-in-australia/

UPDATE 25 April - Today Tonight by Laura Sparkes "Reya Update" 

UPDATE 25 April - News.com by Kristin Shorten. Update at this link "Father Brozzi Lunetta reunited with abducted daughter Reya after 10 years" 

UPDATE 26 April - Today Tonight. Update at this link "Reya's Future"

UPDATE 30 April - Sunrise. Update at this link "Father reunites with family"
 

Plea for Reya Lunetta's mother Camilla Ellefsen to come forward voluntarily

UPDATE 21 April 2013

Tomorrow evening at 6:30 pm (Monday 22nd April 2013), Channel 7's Today Tonight program will be featuring a story about the search for Reya Lunetta who was abducted from the USA 10 years ago. Reya & her mother Camilla Ellefsen are believed to be in hiding in Sydney. Reya's father, Brozzi Lunetta, has once again travelled to Australia to

continue the search for his daughter. 

ORIGINAL POST
Based on new leads, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have intensified their search for Reya Lunetta who is now believed to be living in Sydney (Australia). Reya was abducted by her mother, Camilla Ellefsen, from the US in 2002. Reya’s father Brozzi Lunetta has never given up searching for Reya & has now made a movie to help her find him (see previous post ‘Desperate dad Brozzi Lunetta makes film to help daughter Reya find him).

Reya’s abduction bears the hallmarks of so many International Parental Child Abductions (IPCA). She has been forced into the life of an international fugitive. She has been forced to travel from country to country & from town to town to avoid detection. She has been isolated from her own father, her extended family & her friends. Her name has been changed several times. She has been isolated from her peers for the past 10 years. She has become confused about who her real father is (psychologists call this ‘Identity Confusion’). She has also been denied her basic human rights as contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Reya’s mother is also being supported by people who are probably well-meaning but who are naïve to the wide-ranging effects of IPCA on abducted children & on their parents (including the abducting parent), & to the many other people who are affected by the abduction. In many cases, these supporters share the abducting parent’s extreme beliefs that are in themselves damaging to the child

These effects don’t begin to go away until the child is found. International research shows that her mother’s actions will affect Reya for the rest of her life. The research also shows that the longer an IPCA victim is subjected to these actions, the greater the future damage will be.

Reya’s mother would protect Reya from further emotional harm by coming forward now. This would be the least traumatic way for Reya to be reunited with her father & with the rest of her family. It will also enable Reya to receive counselling & to re-integrate with normal society.

By coming forward voluntarily Reya’s mother will also reduce the likelihood of criminal prosecution & a lengthy prison sentence. Many countries that are signatories to The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Hague Convention) participate in what’s called Cross Border Mediation (CBM). Australia is one of these countries.

CBM is designed to find a way forward that doesn’t involve law enforcement agencies or the courts in either the country the child is found in or in the country the child was abducted from. The outcomes of CBM are legally binding on all the parties & on the governments of the two countries.

When the authorities find an abducting parent & an abducted child, the outcome is usually far worse. This scenario will involve law enforcement & child protection agencies in both countries, as well as criminal & civil court proceedings in both countries. The abducting parent also faces a very high likelihood of extradition. This will all lead to criminal charges being laid against the abducting parent in the country the child was abducted from as well as the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence for the abducting parent. None of this is in the best interests of the child.

Reya’s mother can avoid all this & the effects it will have on Reya by doing the right thing & coming forward now. Before it’s too late.

Family Court of Australia Missing Children link - Reya Lunetta

Reya who is now 11 years old has a brown birthmark on the sole of her foot, and a red mark on the rear of her head.

Family Court of Australia Missing Children link - Camilla Ellefsen also known as Zelma 

Camilla has a brown birthmark on her left forearm and a tattoo on her right shoulderblade.

Historic child abduction: Patricia O’Byrne sentenced to house arrest - Post 2 (see February 17 below for Post 1)

The Canadian judge who sentenced self-confessed child abductor Patricia O’Byrne to almost two years of house arrest followed by another two years of probation was faced with a difficult task. On the one hand, the mother had inflicted extreme emotional violence to Joe Chisholm & his daughter over more than 18 years. On the other hand, the victims were pleading for leniency on behalf of the abducting parent.

The judge made her decision based on, amongst other things, the abducting parent’s early guilty plea after being brought to trial (although the abducting parent did not come forward voluntarily), the abducting parent’s acknowledgement that she had not acted appropriately, the remorse the abducting parent showed for her actions, and the victim’s written submissions. Fair enough.

However, most parents whose children have become IPCA victims will take issue with the judge’s comments about the abducting parent being a ‘wonderful mother’. Although she might have provided food & shelter for her daughter, provided her with a good education, & raised her with good values, the research supports the view that she has inflicted enormous emotional damage on her. This damage has been taking place for the past 18 years & even if she is provided with counselling, the damage will in all likelihood remain with her for the rest of her life.

Extensive international research shows that parents who abduct children are rarely acting in the best interests of the child. In the vast majority of cases they are acting on underlying emotional disorders that range from selfishness to sociopathy. One organisation that provides support to IPCA victims found that 100% of adults who were victims of IPCA as children reported on-going emotional difficulties throughout their lives.

These are not the effects of ‘wonderful’ parenting. These are the effects of what two of the leading authorities in the field of Parental Child Abduction refer to as inept parenting & child abuse.

For the full thestar.com 2 April 2013 news article, go to this link

Previous news article published 15 February 2013 is at this link

Desperate dad Brozzi Lunetta makes film to help daughter Reya find him

By Kristin Shorten

From: news.com.au
March 18, 2013 7:56AM

Daughter abducted in 2002
Father searched for her without success
Film made to help her find him

A DESPERATE dad who has spent more than a decade searching for his parentally abducted daughter has made a movie to help her find him. Brozzi Lunetta said he wrote and produced fictional film Reya, named after his 11-year-old daughter, since losing faith in the Australian authorities to locate her.

Reya was abducted by her mother, Camilla Ellefsen, from the US amid a bitter custody battle in 2002. Ms Ellefsen, 40, fled with Reya to Norway and India before arriving in Perth in February 2004 on a Norwegian passport.There has since been a string of possible sightings in south-east Queensland and northern NSW.

“Reya's birthday (last June) and the 10-year anniversary of her abduction were incredibly difficult,'' Mr Lunetta said. “I'm holding on but it's been a pretty exhausting experience. "The reason I want to share my life story is so that my daughter can find me.''

A dozen actors including Yohanna Idha, who won best actress at the Stockholm International Film Festival in 2011, have worked on the feature film for free. Watch the trailer here. The movie, which has been edited, will screen in Stockholm next month.

“It's a tough movie, it's a beautiful movie,'' Mr Lunetta said. “In it a detective who is investigating a crime has these recurring nightmares and starts to believe that the murder victim, this young woman in her 20s, is his daughter who disappeared 20 years earlier.

“It's my way to use a fictional tale to get the story out there again, to remind people that my daughter is still missing and perhaps if we could get Camilla's face out there it would lead to new information.”

In 2010 News Limited revealed a series of Australian Federal Police bungles had allowed the fugitive mother to elude authorities and remain on the run in this country for almost a decade. In 2006 the Norwegian singer had been hiding with her then five-year-old daughter in Goonengerry, southwest of Mullumbimby, before slipping through the net in a bungled AFP raid. The AFP has since refused to comment but it is understood its investigation folded shortly after the incident when leads on the pair's location dried up.

The American father, now based in Norway, was awarded sole custody of Reya after his ex-wife failed to comply with a court order related to custody arrangements. He is considering a fourth trip to Australia once the film is released.

“Unfortunately the authorities are not going to find my daughter 10 years later,'' he said. “They had their chance, they searched the wrong property in NSW and they made a muck of it basically. “The AFP has hinted that she was somehow able to get out of Australia (and go back to Norway) but we've been offered no real, legitimate or concrete proof.''

Mr Lunetta said the Norwegian authorities had also contradicted that theory. “They believe she's not here; that she is still in Australia. So right now I'm in limbo,'' he said. “If the AFP is so convinced that my daughter was brought back to Scandinavia, why won't they say that on the record or give us proof of that?

“There were tonnes of proof that she entered Australia from India into Perth but there's no proof whatsoever that she left. “It's literally been police officials telling somebody to tell me, off the record, that she's gone.''

Despite this, both mother and child remain listed as missing on the Family Court of Australia website.

The filmmaker, who has since re-married, said he did not want to see Reya separated from her mother. “I just want to be a part of my daughter's life and for her to know she has this incredible family waiting for her,'' he said.
“I was never looking for sole custody. “It's always been about giving her more love not less love.''

Ms Ellefsen's mother Eivor said she was aware of the film. “I am happy to have two grandchildren (in Norway) which give sun and happiness into my life,’’ she said. “But still I miss my third grandchild and my daughter very much. “I think of them every day – usually right before I go to sleep, sending them all the positive energy I can.’’

The AFP referred all inquiries to the Attorney General's Department. The department issued a statement that said it "does not confirm or provide comment on Hague child abduction cases to protect the privacy of those involved".

Email kristin.shorten@news.com.au or follow @itsKShort on Twitter

This story has been reformatted slightly to fit on the blog. The original story by Journalist Kristin Shorten is at this link.

Photo below: Camilla Ellefsen is believed to be living in Australia with her daughter Reya. Picture: Megan Slade Source: The Courier-Mail

Photo below of missing child Reya Lunetta also known as Hira, photo from Family Law Courts website. Reya who is now 11 years old has a brown birthmark on the sole of her foot and a red mark on the rear of her head.

 

Parental child abductors - driven by self-interest

I've been in close contact with Joe Chisholm since 2008 (see previous post on this blog). He worked tirelessly for almost 18 years to locate his daughter. During his search he became a very public & very staunch advocate for the rights of missing children. I wish him & his daughter all the best during the next stage of what is now 'their' journey.

I view the references to the mother's statements about not wanting to hurt Joe or his family with a very high level of scepticism. Given the high public profile of this case it would have been impossible for her not to know for 18 years exactly what Joe and other members of his family were going through, yet she did nothing to ease their concerns. No letters. No phone calls. No emails. Nothing.

Parental child-abductors are driven by self-interest. As with other criminals, they have no regard for other people's feelings or for the effects their actions will have on their victims - including their own children. In many cases, they want to inflict harm on the other parent. They see themselves as being above the law. In cases involving serious allegations against the other parent, parental child abductors deny that parent the basic human right in a democratic society to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty through an established and transparent investigative and legal process. They deliberately obstruct and remove the other parent's right to due legal process. By taking the law into their own hands, they openly demonstrate their contempt for the long-held democratic principle of natural justice.

When caught & held to account for their actions, these same people try to justify their unlawful & immoral actions. They then demand the presumption of innocence for themselves. They demand strict adherence to due process & to the principles of natural justice for themselves. Exactly the same rights they unlawfully interfered with themselves. They do this to reduce the likelihood of being subjected to the consequences of their actions. Self-interest.

I hope the Canadian legal system takes these issues into consideration when this case proceeds to sentencing.

To read more see this article ‘Patricia O’Byrne: Mom pleads guilty to abducting Toronto infant 20 years ago’ at thestar.com

 

Patricia O’Byrne: Mom pleads guilty to abducting Toronto infant 20 years ago

Patricia O’Byrne, who abducted her daughter from the father and hid under an assumed name for 18 years, has pleaded guilty to abduction.

Patricia O'Byrne leaves College Park Court after pleading guilty in 20-year-old child abduction case on Friday.

A woman who kidnapped her 20-month-old daughter and kept her away from the father for 18 years has pleaded guilty to abduction. Patricia O’Byrne, 55, mistrusted men because of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child and physical abuse she witnessed her mother experience, a provincial court judge was told Friday. It left her “hypervigilant in her need to protect her daughter from any perceived threats,” said prosecutor Michael Callaghan, reading an agreed statement of facts.

After she separated from the father, Joe Chisholm, in 1992, she became convinced his parenting style inadequately protected their daughter from harm, specifically because he left her with male babysitters. “Ms. O’Byrne thought that the only way to keep (the daughter) safe was to disappear,” Callaghan told Justice Mara Greene. Under a May 10, 1993, settlement, the daughter was to primarily live with O’Byrne, but Chisholm was granted access. But on May 28, O’Byrne’s lawyer got a letter saying she and her daughter were disappearing.

Over the years, Chisholm worked tirelessly to locate his girl, registering her with Child Find. Police issued a Canada-wide warrant for O’Byrne’s arrest. On Oct. 4, 2011, police got an anonymous tip she was living in Victoria, B.C., under an assumed name. Police seized a tissue sample taken from O’Byrne during a medical procedure in 1988 and obtained a discarded sample from the B.C. woman. The DNA matched. Victoria police arrested her on Dec. 1, 2011.

The tall, elegantly dressed woman, who is on bail, came to court with two brothers and her equally tall, striking 21-year-old daughter, who cannot be identified by court order.

Chisholm was not present, but in an eloquent victim impact statement he pleaded for mercy for O’Byrne: “I don’t want our daughter to feel responsible for anyone’s suffering — not mine and not her mother’s.” But he also described the agony of his girl’s absence.

“From the time (she) left until shortly after her 18th birthday, I had an extra bedroom, ready for her return. As she outgrew clothes, teddy bears and age-appropriate toys, I gave them away. But I kept a place for her.” Her half-brother, who was 4 when she was abducted, asked after her and vowed to find her when he grew up, Chisholm wrote.

Callaghan called for a sentence of 15 to 18 months in jail, followed by probation.“The facts of this case require a denunciatory sentence, one that tells the community that abducting your child in contravention of a court order is a serious matter,” he said.

Defence lawyer Julianna Greenspan urged a conditional sentence, roughly half under house arrest but left the judge to decide the length. She noted O’Byrne has expressed genuine remorse and through counselling has better understood her actions. In a written statement for the judge, O’Byrne said she was never motivated by a desire to hurt the father or his family.

She returns to court for sentencing on April 2.

Source: thestar.com 16 February 2013, by Peter Hall, City Courts Reporter