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According to officials, Julian Hernandez, who was reported missing by his mother in Alabama in August 2002 at the age of 5, was found safe in Cleveland this week, living with his father who was suspected of taking him. The Cleveland FBI office confirmed the news on Monday.
Lt. Johnny Evans of the Vestavia Hills police department in Alabama stated that since the boy was reported missing, his department had been actively investigating all possible leads to locate him. However, on Monday, the FBI contacted the police and informed them that the missing child had been found. The boy’s father, Bobby Hernandez, was arrested and charged with tampering with records for allegedly providing false information to obtain an Ohio identification card in 2012, as per court documents. According to Evans, the father and the boy have been living in Cleveland since approximately 2004.
“Our family was overjoyed this week to locate Julian and learn that he is safe,” a representative for the child’s mother said in a statement to NBC affiliate WVTM in Birmingham Thursday.
“We want to thank everyone for their prayers and support during Julian’s disappearance,” the statement said.
Authorities have announced that a boy who went missing in Alabama in 2002 at the age of five has been discovered safe in Ohio with his father, who has been charged with abduction. The teenager, now identified as Julian Hernandez, was found living with his father, Bobby Hernandez, in Cleveland. The elder Hernandez, aged 53, has been arrested and is being held in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County Jail, charged with abduction and tampering with records. The FBI received a tip on 30th October that a teenager in Ohio may be the child who went missing many years ago. The teenager was having difficulty with his Social Security number as he applied to universities, so he sought assistance from a school counselor. After realizing that he was listed as a missing child by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the counselor contacted the relevant authorities.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, along with Alabama police, worked to confirm the boy’s identity. Upon learning of the discovery of her son, Julian’s mother was notified and expressed happiness but also skepticism, given the many false leads that had emerged in the years since his disappearance. Authorities had initially suspected that the elder Hernandez may have been involved in the boy’s disappearance, given that he was reportedly the last person seen with Julian. A missing persons database indicated that Hernandez claimed he was taking his son to preschool in August 2002 but then fled with him. It is currently unknown whether Julian was aware that he was missing. He was living with his father, a woman, and two other children at the time of his discovery.
“He is 18, he is an adult, so it’s kind of up to him now as to whether he wants to come back,” said Lt Johnny Evans of the Vestavia Hills, Alabama police.
Bobby Hernandez, the father accused of abducting his 5-year-old son Julian from Vestavia Hills and has been sentenced to four years in prison for his involvement in the crime. In November 2015, Bobby was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio, where he and Julian were living under assumed names. The case broke when Julian, trying to apply for college under an assumed name, raised red flags when his Social Security number didn’t match his name. A school counselor worked with Julian to determine the reason, and they found out he was on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database. Julian’s disappearance in 2002 was suspected to be an abduction by a non-custodial parent, and investigators followed up on many leads over the years but to no avail until 2015.
The individual who identified as Julian Hernandez posted on Reddit expressing concern for his father and a desire to keep him out of jail. The details shared in the posts aligned with what investigators had reported about the case, and after the story became public, the user claimed to be the missing Julian Hernandez. Authorities acknowledged that they were aware of the posts. Later, Julian Hernandez issued a statement requesting privacy. According to reports, he met with his mother during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. During his father’s sentencing on April 13, Julian spoke on his behalf and asked the judge not to impose a jail sentence.
Julian Hernandez was reported missing by his mother, and it was suspected that he was abducted by a non-custodial parent, possibly his father, Bobby Hernandez. Despite following up on many leads, Julian’s whereabouts remained unknown until November 2015 when Bobby Hernandez was arrested for interference with custody. He is currently serving a prison term in Ohio, and Jefferson County prosecutors will have to wait until he finishes his sentence before extraditing him back to Alabama. If convicted of the Alabama charges, Bobby Hernandez could face a prison sentence of one to 10 years.
In November 2015, Bobby Hernandez was indicted on multiple charges including kidnapping, interference with custody, forgery, and tampering with records. He was accused of falsifying documents such as his son’s birth certificate to enroll him in school and his own driver’s license and car title. Hernandez pleaded guilty to some of the charges, including kidnapping and interference with custody, and was sentenced to four years in prison in Ohio in April 2016. During the sentencing, Julian Hernandez, who had been reunited with his mother, spoke in support of his father and asked the judge not to send him to jail. Julian also released a statement asking for privacy, and he reportedly met with his mother during the holidays.
Julian Hernandez, who disappeared at the age of five, was recently found living with his father, Bobby Hernandez, in Cleveland. The FBI received a tip in October 2015 that led to the discovery of Julian’s whereabouts. He had been experiencing difficulties with his Social Security number while applying to universities, and a school counselor discovered he was listed as a missing child. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children worked with Alabama police to confirm Julian’s identity, and his mother has been notified of his recovery. Bobby Hernandez is also facing charges of tampering with records in Ohio, where he had obtained a driver’s license in 2012. At the time of Julian’s disappearance, Bobby was suspected of being involved. Julian, who is now 18 years old, had been living with his father, a woman, and two other children. It is not known if Julian was aware he was missing. According to Lt. Johnny Evans of the Vestavia Hills police, Julian, being an adult, will have the choice to return if he wishes to.
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