Virginia Child Abduction Lawyer
Alexandria/Fairfax County Attorney Handling Child Abduction Cases
Unfortunately, child abduction happens more frequently than many people know. In a national or local context, it can be easier to find the child, even though it could take months. International abduction can be more difficult to solve. If you are dealing with an abduction issue, contact Alexandria's Christian Curtis, LLC.
Christian Curtis, LLC | 703-879-7729 | E-mail
One of the most terrifying experiences parents can face is not knowing where their children are. As an experienced family law attorney I have successfully worked on abduction cases for families dealing with national and international parental kidnapping situations.
The first thing you need to know is: if there is no court order establishing custody , there is nothing legal to stop either parent from taking the child. In these situations, both parents, married or not, have equal rights to spend time with the child. If you do not have a custody order, get one now.
Using local, national and international resources.
There are many tools that can help solve an abduction. Some are legal and very complicated. Some are more political, even diplomatic. For example, if you have a custody case pending in Virginia and the other parent takes your child to another state and tries to get a custody order there, there is a statute common to all 50 states that will restore the case here and, depending on the circumstances, penalize the other parent. If your child is taken abroad, the Hague Convention, an international anti-abduction treaty, can help bring your child home.
It is crucial to use more than just “legal” tools. Developing contacts with law enforcement agencies, private organizations, even other governments can be important. Examples of steps I take include:
- Contacting the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which, conveniently, is headquartered here in Alexandria
- Contacting the FBI, U.S. Marshals and other agencies such as Interpol where appropriate
- Contacting local police in other states if the abduction is domestic
- If the abduction is international, placing the child on State Department and Homeland Security watch lists
- Notifying embassies if the child is taken abroad
- Notifying airlines if we think the child has not left yet
- Identifying my “opposite numbers” on the ground in the country where the child was taken, including lawyers, courts, ministries, even intelligence agencies
- Getting whatever court orders, including warrants to detain the child once found, from the home court as quickly as possible. I once got an order to retrieve a child in danger from a judge on Christmas Eve.
Under all circumstances, I show the utmost respect for the other jurisdiction’s laws, customs, and law enforcement agencies. It works. I have never failed to find and retrieve an abducted child, whether taken to Pakistan, Egypt, Iceland, Illinois or Maryland.
Contact Christian Curtis, LLC for answers to abduction-related questions.
If you are in need of domestic relations lawyer for family law services for anything from divorce to child support to protective orders, contact Christian Curtis, LLC today for an honest assessment of your situation. You can e-mail me anytime , or call my office at 703-879-7729 .
