For 21 years, the only memory Maria Mancia had of her son was a black-and-white photo.
That’s because, in 1995, her husband kidnapped their son Steve, taking with him the boy’s clothes, family photos and even the ultrasound image of the developing child in his mother’s womb.
Heartbroken, Maria thought she’d never see her child again. But just yesterday, after more than two decades and countless investigations, she was finally reunited with her beloved son.
And suffice to say, it was emotional.
“Now this anguish I’ve carried is gone now that I have my son back,” she told ABC7 News. “I spent 21 years looking for him not knowing anything.”
The reunion was just as overwhelming for Steve, whose father had told him that his mother was dead.
“I lived all these years without my mother, then to find out she’s alive in another country, it was emotional,” he said.
Steve, who’d been raised in Mexico, was also heartened to learn that he is an American citizen. A law student, he now plans to stay in the States and study there instead.
Most touchingly, he also learned that he has four half-siblings, and his mum couldn’t wait to introduce them all to her firstborn.
“I’m just so proud, and so happy to have him back in my life,” she said.
Steve’s father is believed to be dead. You can watch the emotional video below.
