Website 'Abduction' Shock for Teenager
By Mark Sage, PA News, in New York
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2546043
A 17-year-old boy discovered that he had been allegedly abducted at the age of three after spotting a picture of himself on a missing children's website.
The youth, who has not been named, was shocked to learn that his mother was accused of snatching him from his father in Canada 14 years ago.
He told a teacher at his school in California, who contacted police.
Officers were called and the mother, Giselle-Marie Goudreault, 45, was arrested at her home in the San Fernando Valley.
She is being held without bail until Canadian authorities can extradite her on child abduction charges, authorities said.
Jimell Griffin, a deputy US Marshall in Los Angeles, said Goudreault was "shocked and very emotional" when she was arrested.
The youth was immediately put into foster care. He was said to be upset at his mother's arrest. Police said he tried to comfort her as she was being led away.
The boy's father, Rodney Steinmann, now wants him back. He has asked that the boy be released into his custody.
"I just think about him," said Mr Steinmann, 43.
"A conversation with him is a long time overdue. It would be a relief to ask him if he's OK," he told The Edmonton Sun.
Mr Griffin said: "The father still has legal custody based on a 1989 court order giving him full custody.
"The order is still standing and he has a legal right to be with his kid."
He added: "Children's services have been in contact with the father, and children's services will work out a date and time where the two can be reunited."
It is understood that the boy had been living with his father in Red Deer, Alberta, when Goudreault allegedly abducted her child 14 years ago.
She had lost custody of her son but was granted weekend visits. It was during one of these visits that she allegedly snatched her son and fled to Mexico.
At the time, a warrant for her arrest was issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
She moved from Mexico to Los Angeles in 1995 and later took a job in administrative support services for the Los Angeles school authorities.
"They were taking her child away and she did what she had to do," said Melissa Goudreault, her sister-in-law.
(Did ya get that? "HER child". It wasn't "their child", it was "HER" child. ...Brent)
Speaking from her home in Red Deer, she said: "The family is behind her and is trying to raise money for her legal defence."
(Yeah, cuz it's not like she did anything wrong, like ABDUCT a child. I mean, it was "HER" child, remember? ...Brent)
I had just seen this arrticle on CNN and came here to see if anyone had posted it yet. This article makes me sick. The defense is equally as sickening as displayed in this article. The sister-in-law needs a swift kick. Wonder what she would think if it happened to her? Also wonder if the Courts will look into if she or other family members knew of their location. I think that's called aiding and abetting. I don't know what the punishment is for this - but I hope she gets a least the 14 years she stole from the boy's Dad.
I read this on Free Republic, this morning. I was wondering if it would get posted here.
Besides the legal and moral issues, just what are the odds of this happening? The boy just happens to be surfing the net and sees himself? Out of all the millions of web pages? That's what struck me when I read it. I hope things work out for the boy and his father.