Child Abduction and Child Removal

For most parents, the thought is almost unbearable: the abduction or unlawful removal of one’s own child by a stranger, the other parent or close relatives. From one moment to the next, you no longer know where your child is or whether he or she is safe and well. Custody disputes are often at the root of such cases, frequently fuelled by fear of losing the bond with the child due to limited access rights or by a perceived threat posed by the other parent and or their new partner. In the case of Ella Z., who went missing in May 2017 from Großenhain in Saxony, the mother did not accept the father’s sole right to determine the child’s place of residence, left on holiday with the six-year-old girl without further agreement and has not been seen since (further information here). The police rely on assistance from the public and accept information via the telephone number 0351 483 22 33. Sadly, cases like these occur in Germany year after year, and far too many are never resolved.

Affected parents understandably grasp at every straw in the hope of being able to hold their children safely in their arms again. It is therefore hardly surprising that the investigators of Kurtz Investigations Bremen have gained considerable experience in this field over the years. When families doubt the success of ongoing police investigations, wish to have further leads pursued and want to exhaust every possible option, turning to experienced detectives is an obvious step. As Kurtz Detective Agency Bremen is networked nationwide, we can take action at short notice at any time – abroad as well, and also for you and your child: +49 421 3679 9066.

Legal Situation in Cases of Child Removal and Child Abduction

The criminal law classification of the removal or withholding of a child from the parents, one parent or a legal guardian is set out in Section 235 of the German Criminal Code (StGB), “Abduction of Minors”. A custodial sentence of up to five years is imposed on anyone who, “by force, by threat of serious harm or by deception”, withholds a minor from their family (subsection 1). The same applies if such withholding is carried out by a person who is not a relative, or if the child is taken abroad (subsection 2). The latter occurs particularly frequently where parents have different nationalities and one parent unilaterally decides to take the child to their home country or to keep the child there after a holiday. Even an attempt is punishable (subsection 3).

Custodial sentences of up to ten years are imposed on anyone who removes a child from their parents for payment and thus for personal gain, who places the child in serious or life-threatening danger, or who causes severe physical or psychological harm (subsection 4). In cases of child removal resulting in death, the sentence is not capped at the upper end; the minimum sentence is three years’ imprisonment (subsection 5).

Child Abduction – An Indescribable Horror for Families

The abduction of one’s own child naturally causes the gravest concern for the child’s wellbeing; hardly anything else plunges a family into such despair as not knowing the whereabouts and health of their beloved child. Precisely for this reason, our private detectives in Bremen approach such cases with particular sensitivity, in order to support the family during this difficult time not only professionally but also on a human level. This includes, among other things, endeavouring to commence investigations as quickly and straightforwardly as possible and not delaying families with lengthy bureaucratic procedures. Unlike the police, we do not have to apply for time-consuming internal authorisations in order, for example, to deploy specialist units such as mantrailing dogs, but can process incoming information immediately and dispatch our experts in the various fields of person searches to the target location at short notice. Through contacts with counselling psychotherapists, pastoral care can also be arranged on request.

In cases of child abduction, it is fundamentally imperative to act quickly, as every lead can go cold over time. Our Bremen detectives pursue every suspicion and every tip from the immediate environment and from outside sources in order to advance the search and return the child to their family as quickly as possible and unharmed. There are no taboos on lines of thought, and it is often precisely the neutral perspective from outside that leads to the recognition of decisive connections – especially when it is the eye of an experienced private investigator.

Special Case: Removal of a Child Abroad – Our Bremen Detectives Also Take Action Here

The search for children who have been taken abroad is particularly challenging. As mentioned, this often occurs in binational families where, following separation, one parent takes the child permanently to their home country against the will of the other. While searching for children within Germany is already a time-consuming and demanding task requiring great tact, the level of difficulty can increase significantly in foreign countries. Not only does the geographical distance complicate the search, but looser registration requirements, inadequate cooperation between authorities and German investigative bodies, language barriers and the frequently observed scepticism towards strangers when it comes to providing information are among the many inhibiting factors.

Thanks to the close-knit network of contacts of Kurtz Detective Agency Bremen, we can not only obtain rapid legal assessments of the respective legal situation, for example regarding international extradition agreements and national custody arrangements, but also deploy qualified and locally knowledgeable specialist investigators at short notice. This applies to search assignments within the EU, for example in France or in eastern European member states such as Romania, as well as to assignments in Africa, America, Asia and Australia.

Instructing Kurtz Detective Agency Bremen

Has a child in your family been abducted by a relative, an unknown person or a known third party, and you do not know where the child is or whether he or she is safe and well? Do you feel that the police could be significantly assisted by additional investigations carried out by independent specialists? Do you want to leave no opportunity unused in order to determine the whereabouts of your child, grandchild or foster child and to bring them back unharmed and healthy, then get in touch with our renowned detective agency in Bremen: by email at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-bremen.de or by telephone on +49 421 3679 9066.