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Local Mother Finds Kidnapped Daughter on Facebook

The social networking web site helped a San Bernardino mother find her kidnapped children.

Souce: KTLA News

Local Mother Finds Kidnapped Daughter on Facebook

SAN BERNARDINO — A woman who thought she would never see her children again has found one of them on Facebook.

The social networking web site helped a San Bernardino mother find her kidnapped children who have been living in Central Florida.

Investigators said the woman’s husband Faustino Utrera abducted the children in 1995 when they were two and three years old from San Bernadino.

According to reports he called the children’s mother and told her he had taken the children to Mexico and she would never see them again.

In March, the mother logged on to Facebook and typed in her missing children’s names.

She spotted a picture that looked like her daughter, befriended her and started talking to her.

The San Bernadino police were contacted and eventually Utrera was arrested in Central Florida where he had moved with the children.

He’s been charged with two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of violating child custody orders.

The two kidnapped children were placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

But with the father facing prison time, the mother was granted custody of the two teens.

Experts say the adjustment for all involved will likely be difficult.

“There is no relationship there,” said Carrie Hoeppner of DCF.

“You don’t have that immediate joyful reunification. If in fact that is what will progress, it will take time. These children will have to build a relationship, and that is something that will not happen overnight.”

The two teens are expected to return to their home in San Bernardino.

Copyright © 2010, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles