Mother reunited with kidnapped son thanks to this Facebook photo

A mother has been miraculously reunited with her kidnapped son - and it’s all thanks to this Facebook photo

Mother reunited with kidnapped son thanks to this Facebook photo

by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

This is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing Facebook stories of all time.

Hope Holland’s heartbreaking story begins in 1999, when her son Jonathan was just three years old.

She had split from her husband, who she says was abusive towards her, and the couple were sharing custody of their little boy.

"I was suicidal. I was pretty much done. I had no reason to believe I was finding my son"

But, when her ex-husband decided to take baby Jonathan on holiday to Mexico, she had no idea that she would not be seeing her son again.

"His dad was going on vacation and had permission to take him," she told ABC 6.

"It was a normal day. I didn't think he was not coming back."

Jonathan’s father kidnapped him and cut off all communication, leaving Hope absolutely devastated.

"I was suicidal. I was pretty much done. I had no reason to believe I was finding my son,” she told the news site.

Jonathan went on to grow up in Mexico and, being as he was so young when they were separated, was tragically left with no memory of his mother.

But he did have an old family photo, which he posted to Facebook as his profile picture. He hoped his mother or brother would see it and recognise him.

And, miraculously, they did.

After years of searching and working with the police, Hope spotted the photo on social media and recognised her baby straight away.

And now, after months of speaking online, Hope has finally been able to bring her baby home.

“Ever since I found him, my whole world, my whole outlook and direction changed," said Holland.

Jonathan (who has been raised to speak Spanish) says he's no longer in direct contact with his father. If they need to connect, they do so with an intermediary.

And his father's name is not listed on his birth certificate, showing that he was born to Hope Holland at Kaiser Medical Centre in Santa Clara in 1996.

Via Just Giving
Via Just Giving

But, while their story has a happy ending, Hope and Jonathan still need help.

The loving mother has used up all of her savings and resources to pay for travel expenses to reunite with her son - and has not, despite asking, received any financial help from child abduction agencies.

She told ABC 6: “No support, zilch. Zero, including no financial support, no reunification support, but also, reluctance, resistance to giving me the documentation that I needed just to get my son across the border.”

A GoFundMe page has now been set-up to her cover her costs.

If you would like to contribute to it, please click here.

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