Rescue of boy shines light on parental abductions

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

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PINELLAS COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- The case of a boy rescued after his father was accused of kidnapping him has put the spotlight on something that rarely makes headlines - parental abductions.

On Thursday, Paul Martikainen, 35, appeared in court after he was accused of taking his 3-year-old son, Luke Finch, from a supervised visit on Saturday, then boarding a sailboat and heading off into the Gulf of Mexico. He was apprehended on Tuesday, and the boy returned to his mother.

Martikainen made it 100 miles southwest of Fort Myers before he was caught, but if he had made it to another country, the outcome may have been very different.

"The minute he left the U.S. and even went into the international waters, that made it a little challenging," said FBI agent Dave Couvertier. "If he would have made it to another country, then we would have been faced with even more challenges."

Couvertier said those parental abduction cases often become very difficult.

"Not only do you have to chase down the individual to recover that child, but now you have a fugitive investigation, and then you have to deal with extradition issues," he said.

While parental abductions rarely make the news, another case will be heard before Congress this week.

David Goldman is fighting to get his son back. His child, who is now 8 years old, was allegedly abducted by his mother five years ago, then taken to Brazil. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has even urged the Brazilian government to return him, but to no avail.

In the case of Finch, several factors came together to reunite Finch with his mother, including the St. Petersburg boat captain who alerted authorities when she and her husband recognized Marikainen, leading authorities to the his sailboat in the Gulf of Mexico.

The U.S. Marshal Service will transport Marikainen to Orlando over the next few days, where he will have his first official hearing.

More about parental abductions

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that between 600,000 and 800,000 children are missing in the United States. Of those, 2,106 were taken by family members.

According to Couvertier, the Amber Alert plays a big role in determining whether a child will be found. He said that, out of 100 children whose disappearances triggered an Amber Alert, 93 of them were found.

The recovery rate for children without the Amber Alert drops significantly.

Of those who are taken by family members, 55 percent of them are taken by their fathers and 25 percent are taken by their mothers.

Extended interview with FBI Agent Couvertier

International parental abductions

The United States is one of more than 51 countries that has signed on to a treaty known as the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

The treaty outlines a way to return children who are taken from one member nation to another. However, if the child is taken to a country that is not a member of the treaty, then the parent who is left behind has few options.

More about the Hague Convention (.pdf)

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