As a Florida mother was reunited with her 11-year-old daughter, kidnapped five years ago, authorities were working on extradition papers for her ex-husband to face charges in the daughter’s home state. Craig A. DeCosta, County of Kaua‘i first deputy prosecuting
As a Florida mother was reunited with her 11-year-old daughter, kidnapped five years ago, authorities were working on extradition papers for her ex-husband to face charges in the daughter’s home state.
Craig A. DeCosta, County of Kaua‘i first deputy prosecuting attorney, said they plan to file documents today and hope to have a hearing on Tuesday.
Jon Michael Bryan, accused of stealing Angeline Bryan-Hoercher from her mother, Elke Hoercher, in 1998, remains in custody at the Kaua’i Police Department cell block. He was arrested by the Kaua‘i Police Department officers on Wednesday who used an FBI warrant for allegedly kidnapping his daughter, and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Delray Beach detectives said Wednesday that they have been following a money trail and expect to file charges against other people who have been helping Bryan.
Elke Hoercher and Angeline were reunited at around 3 p.m. Thursday, Kaua’i police officials said. A police official said the mother and daughter, who were in a secure location, were “too emotional to speak” and that “both were crying.”
Prosecutors said there’s no guarantee Bryan’s extradition will be without a fight.
“I’ve never met the man,” said De Costa. “I have no idea what his legal council is going to advise him to do.”
Prosecutors will have to prove that Bryan is the person wanted by Delray Beach police for the 1998 kidnapping. They must also convince the judge that he is, in fact, wanted for a felony, and that officials in Delray Beach are willing to come and get him.
If he contests the charges, the process could be delayed.
“They can contest the charge – whether (he’s) the one wanted,” DeCosta said. “Normally they waive.”
If he does contest it, he has a right to a hearing, and prosecutors would have to show those three things, he said.
Should the judge rule in favor of Bryan, prosecutors would have to get a warrant signed by the governor, which could take up to 90 days, he said.
Bryan has been a fugitive since June 28, 1998, when he picked up Angeline from her mother for a scheduled four-week visitation. Bryan, Angeline’s non-custodial parent, was supposed to return the girl to her mother 30 days later, but failed to do so.
Since then, he has been on the FBI’s list of the 20 most-wanted parental kidnappers. Pictures of both him and Angeline have been on the FBI Web site.
Authorities think Bryan moved to Hawai‘i with Angeline soon after they left Florida.
Deidre Glendon, vice principal of Kapa‘a Elementary, said she told the students on Thursday that Angeline would not be returning to school.
“I explained it to the class (and) they were very understandable,” she said.
Glendon said she did not go into details into what happened.
She described Angeline as a “sweet” student, however she would not elaborate on the girl.
Derrick Dahilig, an O‘ahu spokesman for the state Department of Human Services, said once authorities arrested Byran, Angeline was placed into a foster home.
“I never gave up,” an emotional Hoercher said at a news conference held in Florida Wednesday night at the Delray Beach Police Department. About 11 a.m. Wednesday, she finally spoke with her daughter, thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean.
“I said, ‘Schatz,’ German for honey, and she said, ‘…Mommy, I miss you so much,’.” Hoercher, 40, said. “She sounded just like she sounded before.”
Hoercher said her daughter was worried about her father, but the mother assured her that she would be fine and that they would be together soon.
Detectives are crediting a flier from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children – mailed to homes in at least five states – for cracking the case.
“It was this little flier that broke the case by these winding up in some lady’s mailbox,” said Delray Beach Detective Thomas A. Whatley, who took up the case more than a year ago. “They’re very important. It only took one out of 75 million. It’s like the lottery.”
After five years of tenacious work, more than four detectives and hundreds of hours, detectives last month contacted the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, based in Alexandria, Va. The agency mailed the fliers to states where they thought Bryan and the child had been. More than 300 leads poured into the department, but none panned out.
It wasn’t until an anonymous call led police to Bryan in Hawai‘i.
The caller said, “You can put those 350 leads down. This is 150 percent,” Whatley said.
Detectives contacted police in Hawai‘i, who went to the girl’s school and made the connection. They arrested Bryan when he arrived to pick her up at Kapa‘a Elementary.
Detectives said Bryan had told people wherever he went that he had custody of Angeline because her mother had abandoned her as a child and left the country.
Detectives said they had worked with other law enforcement agencies and tried several tactics – including seeking amnesty for Jon Bryan in exchange for his daughter.
Wednesday, Hoercher said she intended to bring some of her daughter’s favorite things and photographs and hug her when she arrived in Kaua‘i. “Hopefully we can catch up.”
TGI staff writer Tom Finnegan contributed to this report.
