MONTREAL – A missing two-year-old girl has been located in the Czech Republic, according to police.
Maria Zabranska was last seen when her mother, Marcela Zabranska, picked her up from her home in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
Zabranska, who lives in the Czech Republic, was visiting her daughter.
The toddler’s father has primary custody.
He reported the girl missing when the mother failed to bring her back on Monday.
According to the Missing Children’s Network, around 300 Canadian children are victims of family abduction – something that can have lasting effects on a child’s development.
The motive for family abduction often results from a dispute over custody.
Other times, one parent will abducts the child to express control, anger or revenge over the other parent.
“The child often struggles with difficult including fear, guilt, shame, confusion and divided loyalty feelings towards both parents,” said Pina Arcamone, Director General of the Missing Children’s Network.
“This instantaneous loss of community can lead to a lasting depression, the loss of a sense of security or stability, a compromised ability to trust oneself or others and a fear of abandonment.”
Police are currently trying to pin down the child’s exact location and investigate how Zabranska was able to take her daughter out of the country.
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