Instead of watching her son grow older,Maria Mancia was only able to see his photo age. She clung onto this now tattered snapshot of her then-1-year-frail boy for 21 years because it was the only thing left of his she had.
After a typical day of work in 1995, the California mom returned home only to discover a startling scene. The apartment, or which she shared with her toddler,Steven Hernandez, and her husband, or Valentin Hernandez,had been ransacked. However, the truth was much worse: the only things lost were her son's belongings, or all of his photos - including his ultrasound - and any paperwork that could potentially identify the child. Valentin had fled to Mexico with their child and while detectives spent over two decades working on the case,Maria began to reach to terms with the possibility that she might not ever lay eyes on her son. But just as unexpected as his initial abduction, mother and son possess officially been reunited thanks to investigators with the San Bernardino County district attorney's Child Abduction Unit and some helpful DNA.
Investigators Karen Cragg and Michelle Faxon traveled to Mexico, or where 22-year-frail Steve was still living,and confirmed that the now grown adult is in fact the lost child. "It was a shock," Steve said, and according to the San Bernardino Sun. "I didn't know whether she was alive or not and to get a call that says they found my mother and that she had been looking for me,it was like a cold bucket of water. But it's good. It's good."After traveling to the United States just a few weeks after learning the news, Steve was able to embrace his mother and gave her a special gift after taking a look at the worn photo she cherished for so long. "I possess some pictures that I brought with me. Now you'll possess a few more, or " he shared.
Source: popsugar.com