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Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne.

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Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne. Empty Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne.

Post by RileysMom Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:40 pm

A child abducted in 1994 has been found, officials report. The boy's identity was confirmed by his paternal grandparents, who took him during a custody dispute when he was 5 years old.



This photo provided by the Indiana State Police shows Richard Wayne Landers, Jr. who authorities say was abducted from Indiana by his paternal grandparents in 1994 during custody proceedings.

An Indiana woman whose young son was abducted 19 years ago was screaming and "jumping up and down" after learning he was living in Minnesota under a different name, her husband said Thursday shortly after police announced they had found him.
Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne.

Indiana State Police said the now 24-year-old Landers was found in Long Prairie, Minn., thanks in part to his Social Security number. His grandparents were living under aliases in a nearby town and confirmed his identity, investigators said.
Police declined to say whether the grandparents would face charges, citing the ongoing investigation.

Landers' mother, Lisa Harter, was "jumping up and down for joy" when investigators told her a few days ago that her son had been found, her husband Richard Harter told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

He said his wife is "the happiest woman on earth."

Harter said he and his wife were working with an attorney and hoped to reunite with his stepson soon. Police said Landers is married and expecting his first child
Harter declined further comment and referred questions about the case to his attorney, who didn't immediately return phone messages Thursday. Investigators declined to release the names under which Landers and his grandparents had been living.

Police said the boy's paternal grandparents, Richard E. and Ruth A. Landers, abducted him in July 1994 because they were "upset over pending court proceedings" regarding his placement.

Police spokesman Sgt. Ron Galaviz said it appears the boy's father was never in the picture. Lisa and Richard Harter had married a year earlier.

Authorities believe the grandparents took the boy from their home in Wolcottville and fled. They were charged at the time with misdemeanor interference with custody, which was bumped up to a felony in 1999. But the charge was dismissed in 2008 after the case went cold.

Investigators reopened the case in September when Richard Harter turned over the boy's Social Security card to an Indiana State Police detective.
That turned up a man with the same Social Security number and date of birth living in Long Prairie, Minn., about 100 miles northwest of Minneapolis. A driver's license photo for the man appeared to resemble Landers, police said.

Indiana State Police then contacted Minnesota law enforcement agencies, which began investigating along with the FBI and the Social Security Administration.

The grandparents were found living in nearby Browerville, Minn.

"By all accounts, it didn't appear he suffered from any abuse, either physical or mental," Galaviz said.


Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne. 1001-indiana-abducted.jpg_full_600



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Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne. Empty Re: Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne.

Post by Wrapitup Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:22 am

Abducted boy Richard Wayne Landers Jr. found alive, living in Minn. 20 years later, police say
Police: Grandparents abducted boy in 1994

Posted: 01/10/2013
Last Updated: 11 hours ago
TheIndyChannel.com Staff

WOLCOTTVILLE, Ind. - A man who was abducted from Indiana by his grandparents when he was 5 years old nearly 20 years ago has been found alive, living in Minnesota, police said.

Richard Wayne Landers Jr., of Wolcottville, was abducted by his paternal grandparents, Richard E. and Ruth A. Landers, in July 1994 following a custody dispute, state police said.

Landers was listed as missing child and arrest warrants were issued for his grandparents, but after they hadn't been located by 2008, the charges were dropped.

In September 2012, new information gathered by the boy's parents led detectives to Long Prairie, Minn., where a man was found using Richard Landers Jr.'s Social Security number and date of birth, police said.

"The man's driver's license photograph even appeared to bear a potentially similar resemblance as to how the missing boy might look today," state police said in a news release.

Working with local authorities, police located the grandparents, who were also living in Minnesota using assumed names, and they admitted their true identities and that of Richard Landers Jr., who is now 24 and married, police said.

"It's nice to put closure to this case, and now the family can begin the process of reconnecting with their loved one," LaGrange County Sheriff Terry Martin said in a news release.

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Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne. Empty Re: Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne.

Post by Wrapitup Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:27 am

By Ryan Haggerty
Tribune reporter
5:29 p.m. CST, January 10, 2013

Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was 5 years old when his paternal grandparents allegedly abducted him in northeastern Indiana in 1994 and the trio seemingly vanished, frustrating detectives for nearly two decades.

But Landers, who is now 24, has been found alive and well in Minnesota, where he is married and uses a name that his grandparents gave him after they abducted him, Indiana State Police said today.

His grandparents, Richard E. and Ruth A. Landers, live about eight miles from him and have been using aliases since the abduction, said Sgt. Ron Galaviz, a spokesman for Indiana State Police.

Federal prosecutors and county prosecutors in both Minnesota and Indiana are reviewing the case, Galaviz said.

“The fact of the matter is he’s been found alive and well,” Galaviz said. “There’s a lot of policemen here in LaGrange County (Ind.) and the family here in LaGrange County who are awfully excited because 19 long years have come to an end.”

Landers’ stepfather, Richard Harter, said he and his wife, Lisa Harter, learned Wednesday night that her son had been found.

“It’s happened so fast, and we haven’t talked to him yet,” said Richard Harter, who lives in Indiana. “We are planning on it. We’re going to as soon as we can.”

Richard Harter declined further comment and referred additional questions to the family’s attorney, who could not immediately be reached.

Landers’ grandparents “were allegedly upset over pending court proceedings regarding the placement of their grandson” when they abducted him on July 29, 1994, and disappeared from their home near Wolcottville, Ind., according to a news release from Indiana State Police.

The case was stalled for years until September 2012, when Landers’ stepfather gave a State Police detective the Social Security card that had been issued to Landers before he was abducted, Galaviz said.

Detectives eventually found a man living in Long Prairie, Minn., who was using Landers’ Social Security number and date of birth, Galaviz said.

The man’s driver’s license photo also looked similar to how detectives expected Landers would appear today, Galaviz said.

Police in Minnesota, as well as the FBI and the Social Security Administration, began looking into the case.

Authorities eventually found Landers’ grandparents living under aliases in Browerville, Minn., Galaviz said.

The couple confirmed their true identities to investigators and verified that the man using Landers’ Social Security number and date of birth was their grandson, Galaviz said.

Soon after the abduction, authorities issued arrest warrants for Landers’ grandparents charging them with interference with custody, a misdemeanor, according to Indiana State Police. The charges were upgraded to felonies in 1999.

But in 2008, prosecutors decided to drop the charges because neither Landers nor his grandparents had been found.

Galaviz said he did not know if the grandparents are now in custody in Minnesota. The sheriff of the county where they live declined to comment on the case and said his department would issue a news release Friday.

Galaviz also did not know the name that Landers has been using since the abduction, or how much knowledge, if any, Landers has of his past.

“It does not appear that he was abused or anything along those lines,” said Galaviz, who described Landers as “well-adjusted.”

“It just appears that (his grandparents) took him out there and they raised him as their own son,” Galaviz said.

Landers will have to decide if he’d like to reunite with his mother, Galaviz said.

“Being a young adult now, that’s going to be up to him,” he said. “We can’t force him and say, ‘Now you’re going back with your mom.’ He’s 24 years old.”

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Doubt he would "go back w/his mom" to LIVE as he is married, but I would think he would want to see them. This guy must be in shock..wonder if he has any memory of his parents.
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Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne. Empty Richard Wayne Landers, Missing Boy Found As Adult, Says Grandparents 'Were In The Right'

Post by Wrapitup Sun Jan 13, 2013 2:44 pm

01/12/13 04:23 PM ET EST

BROWERVILLE, Minn. -- An Indiana mother whose former in-laws allegedly abducted her son nearly 20 years ago was not homeless at the time, the woman's lawyer said, refuting claims that the grandparents needed to step in because she was unable to care for the boy.

Authorities searched for the then-5-year-old Richard Wayne Landers Jr. for years, but the case went cold. They eventually found him living with his paternal grandparents in the small central Minnesota town of Browerville. He had changed his name in 2006 to Michael Jeff Landers.

Lisa Harter and the boy's father, Richard Wayne Landers Sr., did live in a car for three days at one point, but at the time of the boy's disappearance in 1994, Harter had moved into an apartment, attorney Richard Muntz told The Associated Press late Friday.

Muntz said that when Harter and Landers Sr. divorced, Harter – who has mild developmental disabilities_ temporarily moved into a group home that wasn't equipped for children. The grandparents obtained custody and filed for guardianship, he said. After Harter moved into an apartment and gained custody of her son on weekends, she filed a petition to expand her custody rights when she remarried.

"The judge gave her custody on a trial basis, and before she could get him, that's when they left," Muntz told the AP.

Todd County Sheriff Peter Mikkelson has said the investigation was ongoing and the case will be forwarded to federal authorities for possible charges, perhaps related to non-custodial kidnapping.

Michael Landers seems to have understood his circumstances and lived willingly with his grandparents.

Neither he nor his wife immediately responded to telephone or Facebook messages. But postings from each of their Facebook accounts appeared Friday night and Saturday on the Facebook page of KARE-TV in Minneapolis, suggesting that the grandparents did what was necessary.

A posting from Michael Landers said:
"For you people who jump to conclusions you should find out the whole story I was where I needed to be. My `grandparents' were in the the right I dont care what anyone else thinks."

One of several posts from his wife, Bobbie Landers, said,
"His `grandparents' didn't follow the law, but they did what was right. .... He was 5. He remembers his birth parents and what they were like. ... He was where he WANTED and NEEDED to be to be safe and become the man he is today. My husband & my best friend."

Neither person immediately responded to follow-up messages from AP seeking confirmation it was their statement. AP believes the Facebook accounts to be theirs based on multiple links between theirs and those of confirmed friends and relatives.

Both of Landers' parents have said they're eager to see him again. Bobbie Landers wrote on Facebook that it wasn't clear what the next steps were.

"Mike does understand that it must have been hard for his mom. He doesn't discount that at all. He doesn't know how he feels about her and his parents (grandparents) have never said or told him anything negative about her," she wrote. " ... We're trying to keep our privacy and figure things out on our own."

Landers' grandparents took him during a custody dispute with Landers' mother in July 1994 from Wolcottville, Ind., about 50 miles southeast of South Bend. They withdrew $5,000 out of a home equity line, went out for breakfast and left town.

Investigators searched in vain for Landers, but declared the case cold. It was reopened in September after a conversation between Richard W. Landers Sr. and an Indiana State Police detective prompted another search of the Social Security number for Richard W. Landers Jr.

That turned up a Minnesota man with the same number and birthday as Landers.

Minnesota officials say the grandparents – now living in Browerville under the assumed names Raymond Michael Iddings and Susan Kay Iddings – verified Landers' identity. They were known as Richard E. and Ruth A. Landers at the time of the abduction.

A telephone message left for the Iddingses on Saturday was not immediately returned. A couple who answered the door at their home Friday declined to identify themselves and also refused an interview.

Muntz said he's trying to establish a way for Harter and her son to get reacquainted.

Richard W. Landers Sr. told the News-Sun in Kendalville, Ind., that he has forgiven his parents.

"I'm just thankful my boy is still alive, and I'll still get a chance to see him," he said.

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Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne. Empty Re: Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne.

Post by samgoodwin Sun Jan 13, 2013 4:36 pm

I know a little bit about this case, because it's from my home state. Here's the rest of the story... Richard (now known as Michael after he changed his own name at 18) lived with his grandparents from birth. Mom was developmentally disabled. Bio-dad split. She married another guy and was living in a car for a while. So a judge granted the grandparents custody. Michael himself has come out on his facebook page and stated, “For you people who jump to conclusions you should find out the whole story I was where I needed to be. My ‘grandparents’ were in the the right I dont care what anyone else thinks.”

Michael is 24 now, married and they are expecting a child of their own. He feels his grandparents did the right thing. That's good enough for me. (JMO)

Here are some other facets of the story I didn't see mentioned above.

"He was abducted by his paternal grandparents nearly two decades ago when his unemployed mother was living in a car in Indiana, authorities said Friday."
Maybe the grandparents just thought they could give him a better home than living in a car??
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From Saturday's paper...

I copied this article, because I'm not sure how great links to our local paper work - they have a limit on number of articles you can read if you're not a subscriber.

Man, taken as boy, changed name: Abducted in 1994, Landers now lives in Long Prairie

LONG PRAIRIE — In 2006, an 18-year-old Minnesota man legally changed his name to Michael Jeff Landers. Six years later, authorities determined Landers was really the Indiana child who had been abducted by his paternal grandparents in 1994.

Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was reportedly abducted when he was 5 years old. The 24-year-old Michael Landers now lives in the Central Minnesota town of Long Prairie, the Todd County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

Sheriff Peter Mikkelson said the investigation is ongoing and that the case will be forwarded to federal authorities for possible charges.

It’s unclear what Landers knew about his history, but authorities said he had lived with his grandparents since birth.

According to court records, Landers applied for the name change himself in November 2006, just a couple weeks after he turned 18.

The application does not say why he requested the change, and it wasn’t immediately clear how long he had used the name Michael.

A home phone number for Landers could not be found. Messages left with his wife were not immediately returned.

But a posting from his Facebook account appeared Friday night on the Minneapolis television station KARE’s Facebook page, saying: “For you people who jump to conclusions you should find out the whole story I was where I needed to be. My ‘grandparents’ were in the the right I dont care what anyone else thinks.”

Landers didn’t immediately respond to a follow-up message from The Associated Press seeking confirmation that it was his statement. AP believes the Facebook account to be Landers’ based on multiple links between it and confirmed friends and relatives.

Leaving Indiana
In July 1994, after a custody dispute between Landers’ mother and the grandparents, the grandparents fled from Wolcottville, Ind.

“I’m not sure that they (the grandparents) ever had legal custody,” said John R. Russell, who vestigated the disappearance with the LaGrange (Ind.) County Sheriff’s Department.

The mother and stepfather were unemployed and lived in a car, Russell recalled.

“These people (the grandparents) were nice people. It was wrong for them to do it, but I can understand why,” he said. “But I also didn’t think the child would be in any danger at all with them.”

Landers’ stepfather, Richard Harter, did not respond to phone calls Friday. A phone number for Landers’ mother, Lisa Harter, could not be found. Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Ron Galaviz said it appears Landers’ father was never in the picture.

Indiana attorney Richard Muntz has worked with Lisa Harter in her 19-year search and told the Star Tribune that child welfare services stepped in because she has some developmental disabilities and the grandparents had temporary custody.

Muntz said after a judge granted Harter custody for a trial period, the grandparents took $5,000 out of a home equity line and left town.

Charge dropped
The grandparents were charged with misdemeanor interference with custody, which was bumped up to a felony in 1999. But the charge was dismissed in 2008 after the case went cold.

Minnesota officials say the grandparents — now living in Browerville under the assumed names Raymond Michael Iddings and Susan Kay Iddings — verified Landers’ identity. They were known as Richard E. and Ruth A. Landers at the time of the abduction.

A woman who answered a phone number associated with the Iddingses declined an interview.

Investigators reopened the case in September when Richard Harter turned over Landers’ Social Security card to an Indiana State Police detective. That turned up a man with the same Social Security number and birthday living in Long Prairie. A driver’s license photo for the man appeared to resemble Landers, police said.

Indiana State Police then contacted Minnesota law enforcement agencies, which began investigating along with the FBI and the Social Security Administration. Mikkelson said once an investigation is complete, the case would be forwarded to federal authorities for possible charges.

A spokeswoman with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Minnesota said she could not confirm nor deny whether the matter was under federal investigation. But generally speaking, said Jeanne Cooney, in these types of matters authorities could look into charges related to non-custodial kidnapping, whether the child was exploited, abused, trafficked or being used to obtain benefits.

Richard Harter said Thursday that his wife was “jumping up and down for joy” when investigators told her son had been found.

Michael Landers and his wife, who police say are expecting a child, share a plot of land with his grandparents a few miles outside of Browerville. Landers works at an auto parts store in Long Prairie.

The town buzzed with the news. Rich Wall, a retired jeweler, said some residents speculated that some people knew of Landers’ history but kept quiet.
______

I think her lawyer is trying to make bio-mom look better by changing her DD to "mild" and mentioning she had moved to an apartment. I'm guessing if a judge gave her custody on a "trial basis" he recognized she had some problems.

I hope they leave it up to this young man whether he wants to get to know mom or not.
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Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne. Empty Re: Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne.

Post by Wrapitup Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:13 pm

Thanks for the updates. I don't blame this boy for saying his gp's did the right thing.
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Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne. Empty VERY LONG ARTICLE and many pictures.

Post by Nama Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:26 pm

'They made him the man he is today, my husband and best friend': Grandparents who snatched boy from his mother nearly NINETEEN years ago when he was aged just five are defended by his pregnant wife

Go to the link:

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Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne. Empty Re: Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne.

Post by Wrapitup Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:44 am



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Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne. Empty Re: Indiana boy abducted in '94 found in Minnesota. Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was just 5 years old when he and his paternal grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from Wolcottville, a town about 30 miles north of Fort Wayne.

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