Man Abducts 5-Month-Old Son, Flees To Indiana

An unidentified man took his 5-month-old son from the Rogers Park home of the boy's maternal grandfather; fleeing to Indiana last weekend, the Chicago Sun-Times (via CBS) reported. Police say the boy in all likelihood is not in danger.

The boy was at his grandfather's house after his father dropped him off and then returned later that evening. Rogers Park District police Capt. Robert Whalen told reporters the father said he wanted to take the baby back:

"A scuffle ensued and the father took the baby.''

The boy's 18-year-old mother is serving a prison sentence, but the article does not indicate which correctional facility, what crime she was convicted of, or how long her sentence is. The father lives in Washington, Indiana and is believed to have fled there with his child.

Illinois State Police District Chicago Master Sgt. Anthony Hoop told reporters that an Amber alert was not issued. An investigation by the Belmont Area Special Victims Unit is underway.

But this brief story highlights the fact that most children who are abducted from their homes (or as with this case, the home of a guardian) are taken by a parent. About 355,000 children are taken from their homes each year, according to statistics from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) cited by an iParenting article.

Without additional details of the Rogers Park abduction, it's difficult to understand the father's motivations. But usually parental kidnapping happens when a noncustodial parent defies a child custody-related court order by taking his or her child across state borders, according to NCMEC spokesman Mark Samrodan.

Regardless of the parent's reasons, Illinois Legal Aid points out that even the most well-meaning mother or father can be charged with child abduction for such an act. That means an abducting parent may need to call a criminal defense attorney as well as an Illinois family lawyer.

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