We've been following these underground parental kidnapping cases for years and there is little doubt Holly Ann Collins won't be surrendering until after the Olympics. In these types of case, the proclaimed indigent parental kidnapper seeks publicity for her story to raise money for her defense. I believe this strategy is promoted by the underground attorneys who are know to fly around the country and have a desire to stay in very nice hotels, even when paid for by local public defender's offices or the parental kidnapper's families. For that to happen, she must use the media.
I've seen her story promoted on many of the websites and I simply can't believe how the site owners can unilaterally copy and paste the information provided to them by Holly Ann Collins or her alleged supporters. To be honest, some of the information appears like a template from the other cases, all she had to do was to substitute her name.
So enjoy the rest of your summer Holly Ann Collins because I am hoping that after the Olympics, it's your turn to "mom up"!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Bail or No Bail
Our U.S. Constitution guarantees every individual the right to reasonable bail. A court may deny bail in cases charging murder or treason, or when there is a danger that the defendant will flee or commit mayhem. Parental kidnapper Clark Rockefeller is currently being held without bail.
In parental kidnapping cases it is common for judges to set a very high amount of bail and unusual to deny bail completely. There is little doubt Clark Rockefeller and Holly Ann Collins if arrested 14 years ago would not be flight risks. In both cases, the protection of the young children from a re-abduction would have been at issue and a very high bail or not bail would be in order. However, now that the Collins children are adults, it is likely that Holly Collins if and when she decides to "mom up" will not be held without bail or a high bail set.
That all said, there should be conditions of bail. For example, Collins should agree to surrender all passports. All victims including her adult children should refrain from contact with the accused so she cannot influence their testimony. Holly Collin's former spouse did not see his children for 14 years, would one or two years during a jury trial be really that bad. Finally, a gag order should prevent her from criticizing the very system that she alleges could not protect her children. This case needs to be determined in a court room rather than in the media.
In parental kidnapping cases it is common for judges to set a very high amount of bail and unusual to deny bail completely. There is little doubt Clark Rockefeller and Holly Ann Collins if arrested 14 years ago would not be flight risks. In both cases, the protection of the young children from a re-abduction would have been at issue and a very high bail or not bail would be in order. However, now that the Collins children are adults, it is likely that Holly Collins if and when she decides to "mom up" will not be held without bail or a high bail set.
That all said, there should be conditions of bail. For example, Collins should agree to surrender all passports. All victims including her adult children should refrain from contact with the accused so she cannot influence their testimony. Holly Collin's former spouse did not see his children for 14 years, would one or two years during a jury trial be really that bad. Finally, a gag order should prevent her from criticizing the very system that she alleges could not protect her children. This case needs to be determined in a court room rather than in the media.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Clark Rockefeller Case Updates
Here are some updates from Youtube.com on the Clark Rockefeller case. The abducting father is in jail without bail.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
NY Daily News is reporting Clark Rockefeller in Custody
For searching parent Sandra Boss, the fantastic news today is that her daughter has been found and her former spouse, Clark Rockefeller is in custody. Rockefeller is reported to have been located in Maryland. The child will be reunited with her mother shortly.
For Sandra Boss, this horrible parental kidnapping and nightmare ended in a several days. For Holly Ann Collin's former spouse and his family members, it took 14 years for them to know the location of their children.
I think each and every left-behind victim parent is disgusted with the actions of Holly Ann Collins for the last 14 years. That said, all of us are happy for Sandra Boss.
For Sandra Boss, this horrible parental kidnapping and nightmare ended in a several days. For Holly Ann Collin's former spouse and his family members, it took 14 years for them to know the location of their children.
I think each and every left-behind victim parent is disgusted with the actions of Holly Ann Collins for the last 14 years. That said, all of us are happy for Sandra Boss.
Friday, August 01, 2008
The Kid is With a Parent, How Bad Can It Be? - Don't Say This!
On the NBC Today Show this morning, veteran reporter Matt Lauer asked the former baby sitter of 7-year old Reigh Boss if she thought alleged parental kidnapper Clark Rockefeller was a threat to the safety of the girl. The former baby sitter replied, "From what I know of Clark, I don't think he would ever harm her physically."
This leads to the plight of left-behind victim parents like Sandra L. Boss, a senior partner at McKinsey & Co. As even veteran reporters like Matt Lauer try to uncover the persona of a parental kidnapper, the answer is no one has any idea if this child is safe and few are qualified to render an opinion. A few social scientists may provide a opinion, but none of us really no for sure since Clark Rockefeller has gone undergrond, dropped out our criminal justice and family court system like Holly Ann Collins did.
This furthermore leads me to a point made by Ernie Allen, the President of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Center. He says,
"The incidence study clearly establishes that the problem of child abduction by family members is a serious one in the United States and promises to become a greater policy challenge for elected officials. Yet is a problem that many law-enforcement and criminal-justice officials choose not to address. Far to frequently, we hear...parental kidnapping is not a law-enforcement problem, it is a civil problem, domestic relations, something lawyers should work out, ... the kid is with a parent, how bad can it be?"
For searching parents like Sandra Boss and Holly Ann Collin's former spouse the very worst thing anyone especially a law enforcement official or a member of the media could ever say or even think is the following: "at least your child is with the other parent, how bad can it be?" Well, for any searching parent it's bad, it's horrible! In Sandra Boss' case, she is probably thinking, will I ever see my 7 year old daughter again? For Holly Ann Collin's former spouse, he spent 14 years with that same thought. For anyone to think that these children are not being harmed or were not harmed by a parental kidnapping is a truly a horrible thing.
For more information on on the Ernie Allen Article, here is a download link.
- The Editor
The Children of the Underground Watch Newsletter
"Holly Ann Collin's it's time to Mom Up"
"Clark Rockefeller, it's time to Dad Up"
This leads to the plight of left-behind victim parents like Sandra L. Boss, a senior partner at McKinsey & Co. As even veteran reporters like Matt Lauer try to uncover the persona of a parental kidnapper, the answer is no one has any idea if this child is safe and few are qualified to render an opinion. A few social scientists may provide a opinion, but none of us really no for sure since Clark Rockefeller has gone undergrond, dropped out our criminal justice and family court system like Holly Ann Collins did.
This furthermore leads me to a point made by Ernie Allen, the President of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Center. He says,
"The incidence study clearly establishes that the problem of child abduction by family members is a serious one in the United States and promises to become a greater policy challenge for elected officials. Yet is a problem that many law-enforcement and criminal-justice officials choose not to address. Far to frequently, we hear...parental kidnapping is not a law-enforcement problem, it is a civil problem, domestic relations, something lawyers should work out, ... the kid is with a parent, how bad can it be?"
For searching parents like Sandra Boss and Holly Ann Collin's former spouse the very worst thing anyone especially a law enforcement official or a member of the media could ever say or even think is the following: "at least your child is with the other parent, how bad can it be?" Well, for any searching parent it's bad, it's horrible! In Sandra Boss' case, she is probably thinking, will I ever see my 7 year old daughter again? For Holly Ann Collin's former spouse, he spent 14 years with that same thought. For anyone to think that these children are not being harmed or were not harmed by a parental kidnapping is a truly a horrible thing.
For more information on on the Ernie Allen Article, here is a download link.
- The Editor
The Children of the Underground Watch Newsletter
"Holly Ann Collin's it's time to Mom Up"
"Clark Rockefeller, it's time to Dad Up"
Socialite Sandra Boss - Plight of Victim Parents
If you have seen this morning's news including the NBC Today Show, U.K. socialite Sandra Boss and now left-behind victim parent is shown in a taped video begging for the return of her daughter. Her former husband Clark Rockefeller kidnapped her daughter from Boston, Massachusetts. Boss is a Senior Partner with McKinsey & Co. and had sole custody of her daughter in the UK and provided custody access (I hate the word visitation) in the United States to her former spouse. The daughter was abducted during that time. Rockefeller was the main caregiver for the child prior to the divorce.
Sandra Boss is not the first high-profile executive to be involved in a family abduction. In the late '90s, Ellen Dever went underground with her daughter and her former spouse the left-behind parent was a very wealthy businessman. He offered a $1 million reward. That father even allowed his picture to be printed on Time Magazine. That case was also controversial because photo journalist Allan Detrich took pictures of Ellen Dever going underground during the kidnapping. The children were later found by a private detective in Switzerland and returned to the father but only after he filed a lawsuit against Faye Yager. There are some who believe that Yager took some of that reward money.
In 1994, when Holly Ann Collins abducted her children, we did not see the type of media coverage that the Sandra Boss case is getting. For any left-behind parent, it is a horrbile nightmere to be put in the position of having to find their kidnapped children. Especially with the limited resources available to them. In these cases, here are some of their options:
1. Television Media - Back in 1994, it was every parent's dream to get their case covered on Adam Walsh's America's Most Wanted TV show. For many of these parent's it's a very long wait, often years. The Boss case will be featured on the next show, I imagine the Holly Ann Collins case was not covered.
2. ADVO Direct Mail Cards - You've seen these post cards in your mail, they are sent to 120 million households in the United States. I imagine the Collins children may have appeared on these cards but they were in Europe.
3. FBI - Sometimes it takes months to get the FBI to enter a family abduction case because you must prove the abducting parent left the state or the country. Unfortunately, it's not a top priority and I imagine the Boss case will get more attention then the Collins case did. There are also times when the FBI can put pressure on the local law enforcement of the other country to deport the parent, which has not yet been case with Holly Ann Collins in the Netherlands.
4. Amber System - It's a new system and it helps get the word out quickly in all missing kids cases.
5. Local Law Enforcment - When children are taken internationally, it makes it very difficult for most of these agencies. They just don't have the resources and usually it helps when task forces are formed with the local district attorney's office, FBI and local police department.
6. U.S. State Department - They may be helpful in obtaining information on a passport for an abucted child and for a safety health and welfare check.
7. Private Detectives - If parents have the economic means, they can use private detectives and attorneys to subpoena phone records, credit cards and obtain information from family members and relatives. In the majority of cases the immediate family members have knowledge and somtimes can be pressured legally and through litigation to divulge information. That said, many left-behind parents spend thousands to hundreds of thousands of dolllars on private detectives with limited results.
For Holly Ann Collin's left-behind custoidal and victim parent and for Sandra Boss, it is a parent's worst nighmere to be put in this position. That's why I've keep saying:
"Holly Ann Collins, it's time to Mom Up"
The Editor
The Children of the Underground Newsletter
Sandra Boss is not the first high-profile executive to be involved in a family abduction. In the late '90s, Ellen Dever went underground with her daughter and her former spouse the left-behind parent was a very wealthy businessman. He offered a $1 million reward. That father even allowed his picture to be printed on Time Magazine. That case was also controversial because photo journalist Allan Detrich took pictures of Ellen Dever going underground during the kidnapping. The children were later found by a private detective in Switzerland and returned to the father but only after he filed a lawsuit against Faye Yager. There are some who believe that Yager took some of that reward money.
In 1994, when Holly Ann Collins abducted her children, we did not see the type of media coverage that the Sandra Boss case is getting. For any left-behind parent, it is a horrbile nightmere to be put in the position of having to find their kidnapped children. Especially with the limited resources available to them. In these cases, here are some of their options:
1. Television Media - Back in 1994, it was every parent's dream to get their case covered on Adam Walsh's America's Most Wanted TV show. For many of these parent's it's a very long wait, often years. The Boss case will be featured on the next show, I imagine the Holly Ann Collins case was not covered.
2. ADVO Direct Mail Cards - You've seen these post cards in your mail, they are sent to 120 million households in the United States. I imagine the Collins children may have appeared on these cards but they were in Europe.
3. FBI - Sometimes it takes months to get the FBI to enter a family abduction case because you must prove the abducting parent left the state or the country. Unfortunately, it's not a top priority and I imagine the Boss case will get more attention then the Collins case did. There are also times when the FBI can put pressure on the local law enforcement of the other country to deport the parent, which has not yet been case with Holly Ann Collins in the Netherlands.
4. Amber System - It's a new system and it helps get the word out quickly in all missing kids cases.
5. Local Law Enforcment - When children are taken internationally, it makes it very difficult for most of these agencies. They just don't have the resources and usually it helps when task forces are formed with the local district attorney's office, FBI and local police department.
6. U.S. State Department - They may be helpful in obtaining information on a passport for an abucted child and for a safety health and welfare check.
7. Private Detectives - If parents have the economic means, they can use private detectives and attorneys to subpoena phone records, credit cards and obtain information from family members and relatives. In the majority of cases the immediate family members have knowledge and somtimes can be pressured legally and through litigation to divulge information. That said, many left-behind parents spend thousands to hundreds of thousands of dolllars on private detectives with limited results.
For Holly Ann Collin's left-behind custoidal and victim parent and for Sandra Boss, it is a parent's worst nighmere to be put in this position. That's why I've keep saying:
"Holly Ann Collins, it's time to Mom Up"
The Editor
The Children of the Underground Newsletter
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