Teen discovers he's been a missing person for 13 years

A 13-YEAR MYSTERY TO AN END. JULIAN HERNANDEZ WAS IN THE LEGAL CUSTODY OF HIS MOTHER WHEN HE VANISHED IN ALABAMA IN AUGUST OF 2002. AT THE TIME HE WAS JUST 5 YEARS OF AGE. FAST FORWARD TO THIS PAST WEEKEND, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS THE 18-YEAR-OLD WHO WAS FILLING OUT A COLLEGE APPLICATION WHEN HE DISCOVERED HIS SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER DID NOT MATCH HIS NAME. IT WAS THEN THAT HE AND A SCHOOL COUNSELOR REALIZED HE WAS LISTED IN THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING SKPEX EXPLOITED CHILDREN DATABASE. THAT'S WHEN POLICE IN ALABAMA GOT A PHONE CALL. >> I RECEIVED A CALL ASKING IF HERNANDEZ WAS STILL MISSING THAT THEY SAW WHERE HE WAS MISSING SINCE 2002. WE DID SOME CHECKING AND DISCOVERED HE WAS STILL REPORTED MISSING AND HAD NOT BEEN TALKED TO. THEY WENT AND TALKED TO HIM. THEY WENT AND TALKED TO THE FATHER. THAT'S WHEN IDENTIFICATION WAS MADE. >> SHORT TIME LATER, THE TEEN'S FATHER WAS ARRESTED. JEAN CASAREZ HAS BEEN WORKING THIS FOR US. 13 YEARS, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING. >> AND THE FATHER WAS ARRESTED ON AGGRAVATED IDENTITY THEFT IN OHIO BECAUSE HE ALLEGEDLY FALSIFIED TO GET AN OHIO STATE I.D. ASSUMING AN IDENTITY HE IS NOT. HE'S BEING HELD ON $250,000 BAIL. BUT THIS ALL STARTED SO INNOCENTLY. A YOUNG 16-YEAR-OLD TRYING TO GO TO COLLEGE. AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN 2002 WHEN HE WAS 5 YEARS OLD THAT HE ALLEGEDLY WAS ABDUCTED FROM HIS MOTHER IN ALABAMA. I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT TELLS ME BECAUSE THERE ARE NO OHIO CHARGES YET, TELLS ME THAT FEDERAL AND STATE AUTHORITIES MIGHT BE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW WHAT CHARGES TO BRING, AS WE SPEAK. BUT HE ALSO TOLD ME, AND THIS IS THE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, THAT THE MOTHER AND FATHER WERE NOT MARRIED. THERE MAY BE SOME ISSUES WITH CHARGES, HE SAID. IT IS HIS BIOLOGICAL SON. BUT HE WAS VERY WELL RAISED AND WAS A VERY GOOD STUDENT. SO I ACTUALLY LOOKED AT FEDERAL KIDNAPPING LAWS BECAUSE IT'S CROSSING STATE LINES. IT DOESN'T INCLUDE A PARENT UNLESS THERE'S BEEN A COURT ORDER SAYING THAT THAT PARENTAL RIGHT HAS BEEN TERMINATED. SO A LOT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS STORY AT THIS POINT. BUT WE DID GET A STATEMENT FROM, FIRST OF ALL, LET'S GO WITH THE FAMILY, THE MOTHER OF JULIAN, THAT HAS NOT HAD HER SON FOR 13 YEARS. SHE TOLD CNN, OUR FAMILY WAS OVERJOYED THIS WEEK TO LOCATE JULIAN AND LEARN HE'S SAFE. WE WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT DURING JULIAN'S DISAPPEARANCE. AND ALSO THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN GOT A HINT OF THE REALITY HERE. THEY TELL US WE APPLAUD JULIAN HERNANDEZ FOR HIS COURAGE IN TAKING THE FIRST STEPS TO FIND ANSWERS A ABOUT WHO HE IS. >> HOW IS HE DOING? >> WELL, THE STATEMENT FROM HIS MOTHER GOES ON THAT IT PLEASE GIVE US OUR PRIVACY AS HE IS FOCUSED ON THIS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT PERIOD OF TIME IN HIS LIFE. >> IT MAKES YOU WONDER

Channel: CNN

Views: 15,115,237

Rating: 4.8676572 out of 5

Keywords: CNN News CNN TV CNN Newsroom Newsroom alabama, ohio, missing child, missing child found, julian hernandez, college, social security, cnn newsroom, newsroom, us, us news

Id: mtEClycW1dA

Length: 3min 13sec (193 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 05 2015

Reddit Comments

[u/jlitwinka]

I want to see how his initial introduction to the cops went.

"Hey. I think I'm a missing person"

[u/Keaton223]

his mom didnt bother calling the father and asking; "Hey you got our kid? i cant find him anywhere?"