Can you help me save my son?

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2005
Can you help me save my son?
2
Thu, 02-24-2005 - 4:11pm
I left my ex-husband on January 1, 1998, taking only my son and what we could carry. We were divorced the next year and I was granted physical custody of my son, and primary legal custody. That meant that I had the final say regarding my son but, believe it or not, my ex had the right to be involved, know what was going on, and though my ex did not ask for any, the judge made him get 2 days a month visitation and 2 weeks each summer, unsupervised. My son was only 7 then, but we survived and managed to make a good life for ourselves. My son has PTSD and depression from witnessing all the abuse, plus the night before we left, my ex woke my son up and pointed a loaded shotgun in my face with my son watching. My ex would see my son maybe 2-3x a year at most, never sent him a card or a letter, never came when he was sick or had a school function or concert or anything. He never paid the court-ordered medical expenses for my son all these years. Even so, he has now managed to get custody of my son, now 13. And now the abuse is directed towards my son. I need help.
Last year, we moved from Georgia, our home state, to Alaska where I had a better job and better access to mental health care for my son's PTSD. He thrived here. My ex meanwhile is remarried and living in SC. He went to court in SC and convinced them to accept jurisdiction against the UCCJAE and PKPA -- even though my son has absolutely no connection to the state of SC. I tried objecting to jurisdiction, but was unsuccessful. So one day in December, with no notice, the police came to my door and took away my son with just the clothes he was wearing and put him into my ex-husband's car (he had flown to Alaska to get my son). The Appeals, both here in Alaska and in SC, may take forever since I have to do much of it myself because I have no money to hire an attorney. But meanwhile, my son is in danger. I am not allowed visitation, I call but no one ever answers and my son is not given any voice mail messages from me. Sometimes he sneaks to a phone and calls me. I haven't heard from him in 1 1/2 weeks. I write him, leave him e-mail messages and voice mails. He tried to write me but his father threw away the letters. His father has gotten violent with him. Please don't tell me to report it -- I have written and called the Guardian ad Litem multiple times but she was selected and hired by my ex and she simply goes to their home, together with her husband, and visits. Nothing happens. She didn't even investigate my ex's background of alcohol abuse, violence (not just to me), etc.
My only hope is to have my son run away and get him back to alaska. If he gets back to Alaska and tells child services here about the abuse, they will not return him to his father or to SC. My son is in N. Charleston and attends Eagle Military academy in Sommerville, SC. If I can get him to any kind of safe place, I can get someone to get him and get him out of there. I have heard there are people who help with this sort of thing, like a rescue underground, but I have no idea how to contact them and I am so far away.
Does anyone out there know anything that might help me figure out a relatively safe way for my son to run away without being picked-up in South Carolina by the authorities? Please help! Thank you.
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
Thu, 02-24-2005 - 5:54pm

Hi Msrevie -


Okay, there's some stuff I'm not getting here.

CL-Blueliner4

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-24-2003
Fri, 02-25-2005 - 11:14am

Even though the courts have granted custody to your abuser, your son is at an age where he can specify where he wants to live, and the courts have to take it into consideration.


Pull out all the documentation from your divorce and prior custody records.

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