A 3-year-old Connecticut girl has been abducted in the latest development in an international child custody dispute. The girl’s father, a wealthy businessman with connections throughout the world, is said to have made off with her even as his four other children looked on. Official reports show that the girl was nabbed on Aug. 23 from the home her mother had been renting in Greenwich.
An attorney for the man has said that the father admits to taking his child. The girl’s other siblings are reportedly beside themselves with worry and guilt. They feel terrible that they could do nothing to prevent the abduction.
Authorities say the man barged into the home while the children’s mother was out on an errand. The babysitter reportedly tried to fend him off, but the man began grabbing for the children even as they ran away. He was able to pick up the 3-year-old girl because she was slower than her other siblings. News articles describe the man dragging her from the home even without shoes on her feet. An AMBER Alert has not yet been issued in the case because the girl is not believed to be in danger, but officers are looking for the father, who now has an arrest warrant pending.
The family had been living in Singapore in early 2013, as the couple was attempting to solidify their divorce agreement. The woman in the case had reportedly fled with the couple’s children shortly before the documents were slated to be approved. She is accused of violating international mandates by absconding with the children.
Negotiations are still pending in the case, but law enforcement officers say the most important event will be the identification and return of the kidnapped child. Without the father’s surrender, an agreeable child custody decision is unlikely to result for either party.
