Alabama boy Julian Hernandez who was reported missing since August 28, 2002 reunites with his mother after more than a decade.
Julian was 5 years old when he was taken away from his mother. It was suspected that the boy's father was behind the abduction. For so long, the case had not been resolved until last Sunday, when Vestavia Hills police got a call from FBI Cleveland about a missing boy.
According to CNN, when the boy applied for college, his Social Security number did not match his name. This resulted to his discovery that he was on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database. The Vestavia Hills Police Department, with the help of the FBI's Violent Crime Task Force in Cleveland as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, located Julian and positively identified him as the missing child from 2002.
WVTM reports that the boy's mother gave the following statement through her representative: "Our family was overjoyed this week to locate Julian and learn that he is safe. We want to thank everyone for their prayers and support during Julian's disappearance. Although we appreciate the interest our story has generated, we will have to decline any requests for interviews or additional information at this time. We ask that the media respect our privacy as we focus on Julian's well-being during this difficult time in his life.
The mother recounted that the last time she had seen the boy, the suspect who is also the child's father, Bobby Hernandez was watching him, and then she returned to a note saying he had taken their son. Hernandez is now charged with tampering with records and for allegedly providing false information to get an Ohio identification card in 2012.
Vestavia Hills, Alabama, police Lt. Johnny Evans said Julian never had an idea that he was missing until he started applying for colleges and had difficulty identifying his identity.
