HUNTER NELSON - 18 Months - Evergreen (N of Kalispell) MT

Evergreen MT ---- A 30-year-old Evergreen man is fighting for custody
of his 18-month-old son, who has been in the Bahamas with his
mother since she refused to return to Montana after a visit with
her family last summer.

Byron Nelson's son, Hunter, is 18 months old. Nelson has been
awarded custody by a District Court judge in Kalispell.

Both the U.S. State Department and the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children have taken up the case. Nelson has
applied for the return of his child through an international treaty
called the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International
Child Abduction.

Nelson says he hasn't spoken to his estranged wife, Chelsea,
since last fall. He says he's frustrated with how slow the process
is.

I am a young, married (but seperated) Bahamian mother who is praying for you Mr. Nelson. I just read the article this morning in the Tribune (Bahamas' local newspaper) and wanted to google or facebook it. It's sad to say that I have no comfort and hope in The Bahamas' government and judicial system, but I hope you don't let that discourage you and you place your hopes in God, for he can work and will work everything out!

It's sad that Mrs. Nelson is allowing her immaturity to keep you from having relationship with your son and it's obvious she does not know how vital it is for you to be apart of your son's life. I am not beating on her because I do not know her reason for keeping him away from you and there's two sides to every story, but wrong is wrong...and you have custody of him whether she likes it or not!

I pray one day, that when young people decide to marry, they understand the values of a marriage. They will learn to have respect for the marriage and their spouse and not encourage family members, friends or whoever to intefer! Running behind mom and dad will one day have to stop! (This is the reason my husband left...to be underneath his family and friends, so I know the feeling)

Be encouraged,

B
(miss_nassaubahamas@yahoo.com)

http://www.tribune242.com/news/05182010_CustodyCase_news_pg
Published On:Monday, May 17, 2010
By MYERS REECE
Flathead Beacon
KALISPELL, Mont.
Last July, Byron Nelson travelled to the Bahamas with his wife and baby on vacation. When he returned to Kalispell, his wife and child didn't. Nelson hasn't seen them since, according to Associated Press.
On May 7, officials from the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas were scheduled to perform a welfare check on Nelson's 18-month-old son, Hunter Nelson. The embassy located the baby in March living with Nelson's estranged wife, Chelsea Nelson, in a case that is being considered parental child abduction.
According to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, Byron Nelson has claim to custody over the child, as granted by an ex parte ruling from a local District Court judge. But Nelson, 30, is finding out that the process of returning his child back to the U.S. is complicated at best, nightmarish at worst.
Nelson's situation has shades of the well-publicized David Goldman case. There, Goldman's wife refused to come back with their son after a vacation to her native Brazil in 2004. Nelson said his wife is a native of the Bahamas.
For five years, Goldman fought to get his child back, wading through international law, writing endless e-mails to elected officials, calling anybody who would listen doing everything he could, just as Nelson is doing.
Goldman finally was reunited with his son, Sean, on Christmas Eve of 2009, a year after the wife died giving birth to another child. Nelson hopes his wait won't be nearly as long. Hunter is his only child.
"I write hundreds of e-mails every day," Nelson said from his Kalispell home recently. "My mom and I meet for breakfast and then start writing. I have a Facebook army.
"I'm just trying to make as much noise as I can. I've exhausted every avenue I know."
Both the U.S. Department of State and National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) have taken up the case. Robert Lowery, executive director for NCMEC's missing children division in Alexandria, Va., said his organization filed paperwork in the Bahamas in November. It is the first case he's seen involving parental child abduction in the Bahamas.
"The jurisdiction falls on us to work with the parents and the child," Lowery said. "Our concern is really the welfare of the children. We'll work within the legal system of both countries to give custody back to the parent with claim to custody."
"Clearly, Mr. Nelson does have the claim in this regard by our estimation," he added.
Hunter Nelson is one of only eight cases from Montana listed on NCMEC's website. His is one of the most recently added cases, while some date back as far as 1976.
Byron Nelson has applied for the return of his child through an international treaty called the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. A court in the Bahamas must grant permission to hold a custody hearing in the United States. Both Nelson and Lowery said the order may come down from the Supreme Court of the Bahamas.
"It's to give me the custody hearing I deserve," Nelson said. "We bought a house here. We had a kid here. Custody should be here."
Nelson and his wife met in Kalispell and have a home together in Evergreen. They have been married for three years and are still married, as far as Nelson knows. He hasn't been served any papers. Chelsea, 24, was born in the Bahamas and on occasion the couple would visit her parents there. Her dual citizenship is a factor in the international legal process.
Chelsea Nelson did not respond to an e-mail or voice message left by the Beacon.
At the end of their Bahamian vacations, Nelson said his wife would often feel a tinge of sadness. Also, they hadn't been getting along great before their most recent trip. But he said he had no reason to believe she would decide to stay. Nelson insisted he wouldn't leave the country without his son. At that time, he said, Chelsea's father got involved.
"He made it clear that if I didn't leave his country, it would be bad for my health," Nelson said.
Upon returning to the U.S., Nelson continued speaking with his wife and said he was led to believe that they would work the situation out. But over time, he said it became apparent that she had no intentions of returning with Hunter. Nelson then initiated the legal process of getting his son back. He said he had previously hoped to solve the issue between them.
"I thought we'd handle it like adults," he said. "I've tried to tell her: 'This is felony parental abduction. This is irreversible litigation. This isn't a freaking game. This is about a kid's life.'"
He added: "I'm not trying to be vindictive. I just want my kid."
His wife cut off communication last fall and they haven't spoken since. Nelson said other members of Chelsea's family have quietly reached out to him on the condition of remaining anonymous, sending him photos and providing updates of his son's status. But those moments have been rare, Nelson said.
Nelson has contacted everybody he can think of, even high-ranking officials he expects no answers from, such as the U.S. Secretary of State and the Prime Minister of the Bahamas. He keeps in regular contact with representatives of NCMEC and the State Department. The office of Sen. Max Baucus has been helpful, Nelson said.
Rene Lynch, Byron's mother, said she understands that such a complex international issue takes time to sort out, but she still can't help feeling frustrated.
"They're all telling us the same thing: Hurry up and wait," she said. "At the same time, it's been nine months and that baby doesn't know who his father is."
Lowery said Nelson, if he chooses, could pursue parental kidnapping or other charges. But for now, the goal is getting Hunter back to the United States for a custody hearing. Lowery couldn't offer a timeline, but he did express confidence.
"We're not going to give up," Lowery said. "His chances are strong."
Nelson, who owns a siding business, said he's lost 40 pounds since the ordeal began.
"Sometimes it's too much, with this and trying to pay my mortgage," he said. "I just go into depression and I don't eat right. But I've come to terms with it, that I have to stay here and stay strong and healthy for my kid."

yep! this is the article!

Can't find any updates, assume child still missing. :O(

Hunter Nelson giggled as the leaves crunched beneath his tiny feet. His father watched carefully, never letting the boy leave his sight.

Byron Nelson never lets Hunter get too far away these days. After spending more than a year trying to get his son back from the Bahamas, he was reunited with Hunter, now almost 2 years old, in late October. The Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas granted Nelson custody in accordance with international child abduction laws.

Nelson began working through a legal process last September to get Hunter back from his estranged wife. He said it’s surreal to now hear a child’s voice echoing through his home. He had grown accustomed to eerie silence.

“I’m still kind of in shock,” Nelson, 30, said from his home last week. “I always knew I’d get him back, I just didn’t know when. It’s the end of a nightmare. Now my house is full of kid’s stuff, instead of just this sad place.”

In May, the Beacon published a story about Nelson’s efforts to reclaim his son. Nelson and his wife had taken a vacation to the Bahamas the previous summer to visit his wife’s family. Nelson returned to Kalispell alone, with the expectation that his wife and child would follow later. They never did, and his wife eventually cut off communication.

Nelson initiated a process to return Hunter to Montana through the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Both the U.S. Department of State and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) took up the case.

Robert Lowery, executive director for NCMEC’s missing children division in Alexandria, Va., told the Beacon in May, “Clearly, Mr. Nelson does have the (custody) claim in this regard by our estimation.” A district court judge in the Flathead had granted Nelson custody.

Nelson was told his is the first successful Hague case between the Bahamas and United States.

“With any luck it will help other people,” Nelson said. “If anything it will open it up and make it so it doesn’t take 15 months. That’s how long the process took but it worked and I’m thankful.”

Nelson said his wife’s mother, who often cared for Hunter in the Bahamas, has asked to visit the boy and Nelson has consented. His wife hasn’t contacted him, but Nelson said he would be willing to consider shared custody if it takes place in Kalispell.

Hunter will turn 2 years old on Nov. 29, meaning over half of his life has been spent away from his father. Yet when Nelson saw him for the first time in October, Hunter said “daddy.” When Hunter got back to his birth home, he seemed to recognize his surroundings, Nelson said. The boy ran up to the sliding glass door and pounded on it to call the dogs in from the yard, just as he had done over a year ago.

“He’s adjusted really well,” Byron said. “I think he remembers this house plenty.”

The events of the past year rattled Nelson deeply, but Hunter appears to be unfazed. He doesn’t seem overwhelmed or confused by the change of scenery. Friends and family, including those who have kids to play with Hunter, have helped make the adjustment as comfortable as possible for both father and son.

“The only time he’s cried,” Nelson said, “was when he got a flu shot. He didn’t like that.”

Nelson has taken time off from his siding business to focus on Hunter. They spend every moment of every day together, often surrounded by guests. And when the days are warm enough, Hunter ventures into the front yard, where he has found a new world among the falling leaves.