HomeDAVID AMAYA - 2 yo - (1978) - Chicago IL
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DAVID AMAYA - 2 yo - (1978) - Chicago IL
by twinkletoes Fri Nov 15, 2013 1:24 am
Toddler Abducted 30+ Years Ago Surfaces in San Diego
His birth certificate shows the 37-year-old was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1976
Tuesday, Nov 12, 2013 • Updated 12:20 PM PST
Kathy Amaya told NBC 7 she hasn’t seen her son David since he was just a toddler. Her husband at the time took the boy to Mexico and she said she’s been looking for the child ever since.A
A woman whose toddler was abducted by her estranged husband and taken to Mexico three decades ago recently discovered her son is back in the United States.
Kathy Amaya told NBC 7 she hasn’t seen her son David since he was just a toddler. Her husband at the time took the boy to Mexico, and she said she’s been looking for the child, who she tried to report missing, ever since.
"I went to file a report, and they were saying they couldn't do anything because he was in Mexico," Kathy told our sister station WEAU in an interview Monday.
David Amaya was raised by his grandparents in Mexico and doesn’t speak English. His father told David he was American, but didn't tell his son that he was taken from the country without his mother's permission.
“My father told me my mother had left me abandoned and orphaned,” David told NBC 7 through an interpreter.
“I don’t know my mother, and I find out she’s been looking for me for 30 years, and I have the longing to meet her for the first time,” he said.
David's father and aunt took him to Mexico under a one-month permit to visit his grandparents. However, he said his father left him there and visited only a handful of times over the last three decades.
On Oct. 30, David tried crossing the U.S./Mexico border without documents.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detained him for two days with a group of undocumented immigrants.
“They did not believe me that I was an American,” David said through a translator.
Border Patrol officials told NBC 7 that's not necessarily true. David's story prompted them to look deeper into his case and, indeed, they tracked down a copy of his birth certificate showing the 37-year-old was born in Chicago, Ill. in 1976.
Kathy said she received a call from the Border Patrol in San Diego.
"They told me that they had someone detained that was crossing the border and he said his name was David Amaya," she said.
"I wasn't sure if it was him, so we did some research and found out it was."
Iglesia de Cristo Ministerios Llamada Final Inc de San Diego, based in Point Loma, is providing food and shelter for David as the ministry tries to raise the funds to get him to Wisconsin so he can see his family.
The ministry’s pastor also helped organize a phone call between David and his mother. Even though the two don’t speak the same language, the pastor said the reunion was emotional.
Kathy Amaya told NBC 7 that David has four siblings, and she’s excited to have the family reunited.
"He just told me that he doesn't hold anything against me," she added. "So that makes me happy."
David finished high school in Mexico and studied music in Monterrey, Mexico. He plays drums and went on tour with a band.
He said now he wants to focus on learning English and pursuing his career as a musician.
He also wants to seek medical treatment for injuries he sustained in a serious vehicle accident.
David lost vision in his left eye and has some pain in his throat from a piece of metal that pierced his skin in the crash.
Border Patrol has responded to NBC 7 about this story and is currently interested in having the agents who found David talk about what happened. At the moment, agents have a donation box in their station in San Diego County to raise money to get David to Wisconson.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/David-Amaya-Chicago-Toddler-Abducted-Mexico-San-Diego-Wisconsin-231439831.html?akmobile=o
His birth certificate shows the 37-year-old was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1976
Tuesday, Nov 12, 2013 • Updated 12:20 PM PST
Kathy Amaya told NBC 7 she hasn’t seen her son David since he was just a toddler. Her husband at the time took the boy to Mexico and she said she’s been looking for the child ever since.A
A woman whose toddler was abducted by her estranged husband and taken to Mexico three decades ago recently discovered her son is back in the United States.
Kathy Amaya told NBC 7 she hasn’t seen her son David since he was just a toddler. Her husband at the time took the boy to Mexico, and she said she’s been looking for the child, who she tried to report missing, ever since.
"I went to file a report, and they were saying they couldn't do anything because he was in Mexico," Kathy told our sister station WEAU in an interview Monday.
David Amaya was raised by his grandparents in Mexico and doesn’t speak English. His father told David he was American, but didn't tell his son that he was taken from the country without his mother's permission.
“My father told me my mother had left me abandoned and orphaned,” David told NBC 7 through an interpreter.
“I don’t know my mother, and I find out she’s been looking for me for 30 years, and I have the longing to meet her for the first time,” he said.
David's father and aunt took him to Mexico under a one-month permit to visit his grandparents. However, he said his father left him there and visited only a handful of times over the last three decades.
On Oct. 30, David tried crossing the U.S./Mexico border without documents.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detained him for two days with a group of undocumented immigrants.
“They did not believe me that I was an American,” David said through a translator.
Border Patrol officials told NBC 7 that's not necessarily true. David's story prompted them to look deeper into his case and, indeed, they tracked down a copy of his birth certificate showing the 37-year-old was born in Chicago, Ill. in 1976.
Kathy said she received a call from the Border Patrol in San Diego.
"They told me that they had someone detained that was crossing the border and he said his name was David Amaya," she said.
"I wasn't sure if it was him, so we did some research and found out it was."
Iglesia de Cristo Ministerios Llamada Final Inc de San Diego, based in Point Loma, is providing food and shelter for David as the ministry tries to raise the funds to get him to Wisconsin so he can see his family.
The ministry’s pastor also helped organize a phone call between David and his mother. Even though the two don’t speak the same language, the pastor said the reunion was emotional.
Kathy Amaya told NBC 7 that David has four siblings, and she’s excited to have the family reunited.
"He just told me that he doesn't hold anything against me," she added. "So that makes me happy."
David finished high school in Mexico and studied music in Monterrey, Mexico. He plays drums and went on tour with a band.
He said now he wants to focus on learning English and pursuing his career as a musician.
He also wants to seek medical treatment for injuries he sustained in a serious vehicle accident.
David lost vision in his left eye and has some pain in his throat from a piece of metal that pierced his skin in the crash.
Border Patrol has responded to NBC 7 about this story and is currently interested in having the agents who found David talk about what happened. At the moment, agents have a donation box in their station in San Diego County to raise money to get David to Wisconson.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/David-Amaya-Chicago-Toddler-Abducted-Mexico-San-Diego-Wisconsin-231439831.html?akmobile=o
twinkletoes- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies : Trying to keep my sanity. Trying to accept that which I cannot change. It's hard.
Re: DAVID AMAYA - 2 yo - (1978) - Chicago IL
by twinkletoes Sun Nov 24, 2013 11:37 pm
Mother and Son Reunite After 30+ Years
The two speak different languages, but when it came time to meet face-to-face, they understood one another perfectly
Sunday, Nov 24, 2013 | Updated 12:22 PM PST
A mother and son who hadn’t seen in each other in more than 30 years finally got a chance to reunite in San Diego Saturday morning.
NBC 7 San Diego was the first station to report on the incredible story of David Amaya, a 37-year-old man who was abducted by his father as a toddler and taken away to live in Mexico. All of these years, he had no idea his mother, Kathy Amaya, who lives in Wisconsin, had been looking for him.
On Oct. 30, David tried crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego without documents. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detained him for two days with a group of undocumented immigrants.
David insisted he was a U.S. citizen, and agents looked deeper into his case. That’s when officials tracked down a copy of David’s birth certificate showing that he was born in Chicago, Ill. in 1976.
Agents tracked down David’s mother and from there, the pair connected for the first time in more than three decades.
Saturday’s reunion at the San Diego International Airport was overwhelming. Kathy’s flight from Wisconsin laded at 11:20 a.m., and she was met by a slew of media.
Prior to the seeing his mother, David ate breakfast and said a prayer. He said he barely slept the night before bracing for this very moment.
Accompanied by a translator, David said in Spanish that he was anxious and wasn’t sure what he would say to his mother once he saw her.
The two speak different languages, but when it came time to meet face-to-face, they understood one another perfectly.
“Te quiero. Te quiero, Mami,” he said to his mother.
“I love you too,” said Kathy.
Since entering the U.S., David has been staying at Iglesia de Cristo Ministerios Llamada Final Inc. de San Diego, based in Point Loma.
On Saturday, NBC 7 spoke with David and his mother at the ministry where he is staying.
Kathy said she was happy to see her son, but admitted some of the emotions are bittersweet, especially when she thinks of all the important moments of her son’s life that she’s missed.
“He's all grown up and I've never seen his graduation, his first day of school,” she lamented.
In Spanish, David said he felt many emotions, but all he wanted to do was embrace his mother. He said he was excited to eventually meet his four siblings, too.
Kathy plans to take David back to Wisconsin with her to meet his siblings and extended family.
“He has a grandmother. He has an aunt and uncle; lots and lots of cousins,” she said.
But for now, in San Diego, Kathy is grateful to have her son all to herself.
“I’m all happy and I don’t want to let him go,” she said.
David and his mom are excited to explore San Diego together this weekend. It's their first time visiting the city.
On Tuesday, they'll fly together to Kathy's home in Wisconsin, where David will spend the holidays with his family.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/David-Amaya-Kathy-Amaya-Reunion-San-Diego-233174351.html#ixzz2lbpUpZjL
The two speak different languages, but when it came time to meet face-to-face, they understood one another perfectly
Sunday, Nov 24, 2013 | Updated 12:22 PM PST
A mother and son who hadn’t seen in each other in more than 30 years finally got a chance to reunite in San Diego Saturday morning.
NBC 7 San Diego was the first station to report on the incredible story of David Amaya, a 37-year-old man who was abducted by his father as a toddler and taken away to live in Mexico. All of these years, he had no idea his mother, Kathy Amaya, who lives in Wisconsin, had been looking for him.
On Oct. 30, David tried crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego without documents. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detained him for two days with a group of undocumented immigrants.
David insisted he was a U.S. citizen, and agents looked deeper into his case. That’s when officials tracked down a copy of David’s birth certificate showing that he was born in Chicago, Ill. in 1976.
Agents tracked down David’s mother and from there, the pair connected for the first time in more than three decades.
Saturday’s reunion at the San Diego International Airport was overwhelming. Kathy’s flight from Wisconsin laded at 11:20 a.m., and she was met by a slew of media.
Prior to the seeing his mother, David ate breakfast and said a prayer. He said he barely slept the night before bracing for this very moment.
Accompanied by a translator, David said in Spanish that he was anxious and wasn’t sure what he would say to his mother once he saw her.
The two speak different languages, but when it came time to meet face-to-face, they understood one another perfectly.
“Te quiero. Te quiero, Mami,” he said to his mother.
“I love you too,” said Kathy.
Since entering the U.S., David has been staying at Iglesia de Cristo Ministerios Llamada Final Inc. de San Diego, based in Point Loma.
On Saturday, NBC 7 spoke with David and his mother at the ministry where he is staying.
Kathy said she was happy to see her son, but admitted some of the emotions are bittersweet, especially when she thinks of all the important moments of her son’s life that she’s missed.
“He's all grown up and I've never seen his graduation, his first day of school,” she lamented.
In Spanish, David said he felt many emotions, but all he wanted to do was embrace his mother. He said he was excited to eventually meet his four siblings, too.
Kathy plans to take David back to Wisconsin with her to meet his siblings and extended family.
“He has a grandmother. He has an aunt and uncle; lots and lots of cousins,” she said.
But for now, in San Diego, Kathy is grateful to have her son all to herself.
“I’m all happy and I don’t want to let him go,” she said.
David and his mom are excited to explore San Diego together this weekend. It's their first time visiting the city.
On Tuesday, they'll fly together to Kathy's home in Wisconsin, where David will spend the holidays with his family.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/David-Amaya-Kathy-Amaya-Reunion-San-Diego-233174351.html#ixzz2lbpUpZjL
twinkletoes- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
- Job/hobbies : Trying to keep my sanity. Trying to accept that which I cannot change. It's hard.
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