A child who was reported missing in Alabama in 2002 was found in Ohio alive and doing well.
When Julian Hernandez was applying for colleges recently when it was discovered that his social security number did not match his name. This lead the 18-year-old to be linked to a missing person’s case. Vestavia Hills Police Lieutenant, Johnny Evans, told reporters during a press conference that in August 2002 5-year-old Julian went missing from his mother’s home.
When Julian first went missing it was suspected that his father, Bobby Hernandez, had taken him. Bobby did not have custody of his son, but the day Julian went missing Bobby had been taking care of him. He supposedly left a note saying he took Julian out and then never returned.
Authorities picked up the discrepancy in name and social security number when Julian tried to apply for colleges. His high school counselor helped him discover that he was listed on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database. According to Buzzfeed, Lieutenant Evans said that the Cleveland FBI notified the Vestavia Hills Police on Sunday, Nov. 1 about a missing child. They said that, based on the description, the missing child appeared to be the Alabama boy who was taken 13 years ago.
Lieutenant Evans notified Julian’s mother that they had found him. Evans said she had been through a lot of false claims in the past 13 years and was therefore apprehensive, but excited to learn that Julian was doing well. The Lieutenant also verified that the mother has been in contact with her son but he is unsure if they have seen each other.
Vestavia Hills Police are expected to get a warrant for Bobby Hernandez’s arrest for interfering with child custody. Interference with custody carries a charge for up to 10 years in prison. Bobby was arrested in Cleveland and should be extradited to Alabama for more charges based on the 2002 abduction.
Julian issued a statement on Friday through a FBI spokesperson, according to DailyMail. He asked everyone to respect the privacy of himself, his school, his school’s faculty, his friends, and neighbors. He said he wants to be normal and wants to go through his day like any 18-year-old would.
