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BY TONY C. DREIBUS / #GNN - AUSTIN Texas: A Texas girl kidnapped 12 years ago at the age of four and taken to Mexico by her mother has been found, law enforcement officials said on Wednesday.
Sabrina Allen was taken from Austin, Texas, in April 2002 by Dara Llorens, who was divorced from Allen's father, according to the Austin Police Department.
Llorens and the child assumed new identities and moved frequently to evade capture, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which assisted in the hunt for the girl. The pair was found Tuesday in Mexico and the 17-year-old was to be reunited with her father, authorities said.
“It was a big relief ... now we get to start the healing process," the girl's father, Greg Allen, said in a press conference. "I'm going to ask her if I can give her a hug. She's in pretty bad shape, is my understanding, so I just pray for healing."
Allen said his daughter was told that he was a wife beater and child molester.
According to charging documents, Llorens, now 44, took the child for a scheduled weekend visit on April 19, 2002, as part of a court-ordered custody arrangement. She failed to return the child to the father, who had primary custody, at the end of the weekend.
According to an account of the girl's recovery provided by Klein Investigations & Consulting, agents with the Mexican Federal Police, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service took custody of Llorens near Mexico City, on Tuesday morning after help from a confidential informant.
Llorens was wanted on warrants that include interference with child custody and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, the Klein group said.
One Mexican police officer sustained a minor injury in the apprehension of Llorens during a struggle, the group said.
Investigators followed up on hundreds of leads and tips over the 12-year search, and the case was profiled twice on the television show “America’s Most Wanted.”
(Editing by Carey Gillam and Eric Walsh)(GNN)(Reuters)(AIP)
Sabrina Allen was taken from Austin, Texas, in April 2002 by Dara Llorens, who was divorced from Allen's father, according to the Austin Police Department.
Llorens and the child assumed new identities and moved frequently to evade capture, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which assisted in the hunt for the girl. The pair was found Tuesday in Mexico and the 17-year-old was to be reunited with her father, authorities said.
“It was a big relief ... now we get to start the healing process," the girl's father, Greg Allen, said in a press conference. "I'm going to ask her if I can give her a hug. She's in pretty bad shape, is my understanding, so I just pray for healing."
Allen said his daughter was told that he was a wife beater and child molester.
According to charging documents, Llorens, now 44, took the child for a scheduled weekend visit on April 19, 2002, as part of a court-ordered custody arrangement. She failed to return the child to the father, who had primary custody, at the end of the weekend.
According to an account of the girl's recovery provided by Klein Investigations & Consulting, agents with the Mexican Federal Police, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service took custody of Llorens near Mexico City, on Tuesday morning after help from a confidential informant.
Llorens was wanted on warrants that include interference with child custody and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, the Klein group said.
One Mexican police officer sustained a minor injury in the apprehension of Llorens during a struggle, the group said.
Investigators followed up on hundreds of leads and tips over the 12-year search, and the case was profiled twice on the television show “America’s Most Wanted.”
(Editing by Carey Gillam and Eric Walsh)(GNN)(Reuters)(AIP)
