Abduction By Other Parent

Contact the police immediately. Report your child to the police “missing person” department and provide the child’s name and a description of the child.

Ask the police to put the child on CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre computer system) and on the United States National Crime Information Centre (NCIC) computer system.

Register the abduction with the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC). Ensure your lawyer is involved in this process.

If you have not already done so, contact a lawyer to secure sole custody with a prohibition that your child not be removed from the jurisdiction.

Have the child’s name entered in the Canadian Passport Control System with a prohibition on issuance of a Canadian passport to your child from anywhere.

List the addresses and telephone numbers of relatives, friends and business associates, both here and abroad, of the abductor.

Collect all information on the other parent regarding passport number, driver’s license number, social security and bank accounts, etc.

Have a written record of your child such as height, weight, hair colour, eye colour, and any distinguishing physical characteristics.

Provide to police with up-to-date photographs. You should have a colour photo of your child taken within the past six months.

In your court order seek provision to enable the Canadian Passport Office to refuse to issue a passport to the child.

If the child is a dual national, ask the foreign embassy not to issue the child a foreign passport by providing your sole custody order to them.

Contact your child’s school and provide them with your custody order, because the abductor may try to access school records for your child.

Contact your child’s doctor advising of the abduction, and request that the doctor inform you should the abducting parent contact the doctor seeking medical records on the child.

Have your local law enforcement agency obtain a search warrant or subpoena to access credit card information on the abducting parent to determine where purchases are being made, any large withdrawals or cash advances made, plane tickets purchased, etc. Do the same regarding telephone records of friends and relatives the abductor may have contacted.

File a Hague Application with the Central Authority. This is usually a provincial attorney general’s department.

You may consider contacting the media for assistance. We recommend, however, that you consult the police or a reputable agency (such as MCSC) before doing so. Media can prove helpful or harmful to a case depending on individual circumstances.

Check the abductor’s employment records. If the abductor had a vehicle, check with police to confirm the make, model, and license plate number.

Have police check immigration, customs, and airport records and airline manifests.

Try to contact the abductor’s family, friends, etc. Keep detailed records of all contacts, and events prior to, during, and following the abduction. Work closely with law enforcement and keep them abreast of any changes or new information in the case.

Contact MCSC (or any reputable agency dealing with parental abductions in your area). MCSCs’ investigative services are offered free of charge to searching families.