A Case of Parental Kidnapping – How Biological Parents of Three Children Violated a Child Custody Order and Abducted Their Children from Their Children’s Grandfather
Earlier this summer, CBS Chicago News reported on a case that likely shocked some parents and grandparents in the Chicago area. On July 4, two Indiana parents were charged with violating the child custody order concerning their three biological children, after abducting them from a restaurant that they had been brought to by their grandfather for a visit with them. According to CBS Chicago News, the terrible child custody ordeal all began when 50-year-old Willie Terrell and 31-year-old Jessika Officer-Terrell were stripped of custody of their three children, ages four, three, and one year old. Police indicate that the couple lost custody of the three young children because they require medication and had been found to be “neglected and malnourished” in the past by their two parents. Child welfare officials in the couple and children’s home state of Indiana placed the three children with their grandfather, James Officer, in lieu of granting custody to the children’s biological parents. James Officer had brought the three children to a Famous Dave’s restaurant in Indiana to meet with their biological parents for a state-approved visit, when the abduction occurred. According to reports, when James Officer got up to use the bathroom, Terrell and Officer-Terrell left the restaurant with the three children.
The couple was eventually apprehended using cell phone location technology, and the three children were retrieved safely and soundly. Police had issued an alert for the abduction of the children, particularly because Terrell and Officer-Terrell did not have custody of the children, and because they require medical care. After a brief standoff with police, Terrell and Officer-Terrell were arrested on July 9 at a hotel in Pearsall, Texas. They had abducted the children on July 4. Willie Terrell and Jessika Officer-Terrell were ultimately charged with three felony criminal counts for violating a child custody order.
Parental Abductions are Unlawful in Chicago under Illinois Child Custody Laws
It is important for parents in Chicago to understand that under Illinois child custody laws, a parent who does not have custody of their child cannot simply take their child wherever they want and whenever they please. Under Illinois child custody laws, even a biological parent can unlawfully abduct their own child if they do not have legal and physical custody over the child as established by court order. Child custody laws in Illinois are complex, and can be challenging to understand, so if you have questions or concerns about child custody in Chicago, it is best to speak with an experienced Chicago family lawyer about your specific case.
The experienced Chicago family lawyers at the law firm Arnoux Sharma & Standeford, LLC are here to help Chicago parents with their Chicago child custody law matters. Do not hesitate to speak to an experienced Chicago family lawyer about your child custody case today. Contact Arnoux Sharma & Standeford, LLC and speak to an experienced Chicago family lawyer about your case now.
Source:
cbsnews.com/chicago/news/three-indiana-children-missing-since-july-4/