Maria Mancia experienced the greatest nightmare of any parent in 1995 when she returned home from work only to find that her 18-month-old baby had disappeared.
And it wasn’t until 20 years later, she discovered the truth behind what had happened when she heard a knock at the door.
Maria Mancia’s son Steve, then 18 months old, disappeared without a trace from her home one evening in 1995. Though the Police immediately began searching for him, they didn’t find any lead or a trace.
Almost every document related to Steve’s life, from his birth certificate to Maria’s photos with him (including the ultrasound image), has simply disappeared and vanished. Fortunately, Maria’s sister had a black and white picture of Steve in order that Maria could remember his face.
Kidn@pped by his father
It soon became clear that Steve’s father, Valentin Hernandez, had kidnapped him. It would have seemed to make it easier to search, but that wasn’t the case. It was as if the father and son didn’t exist anywhere.
After a long period of time of searching without much results, the police stopped the investigation. Maria had already begun to accept the fact that she would never see her son again. However, she had little hope that one day the police might find him.
The Police received a tip
Then, 21 years later, the police got a clue. An American citizen named Steve enrolled in law school in Puebla, Mexico. When receiving this information, the police decided to contact the young man to learn more about his background.
Steve was asked about his biological father and he told that his father was gone. The police compared the information they received from Steve to the criminal investigation they began many years ago, and after conducting a DNA test, it was clear: Steve was Maria’s son who disappeared 21 years ago!
His father’s lie
It turns out that Steve’s dad told him his mom had abandoned him.
22-year-old Steve Hernandez returned to California to reunite with his mother after 21 years.
