In the fall, 18-year-old Julian Hernandez did what most high school graduates do after a nice summer vacation full of partying. He filled out a college application and submitted it, but there was small problem; actually it was a rather huge problem. His social security didn’t match his name. Was it a mix-up? No. It turns out that everything he believed to be true about himself was nothing more than a 13-year lie. In less than no time, he learned that he was a completely different person and an abductee from Alabama named Julian. But for the life of him, he couldn’t remember the little boy that had vanished from his home all those years ago.It happened in 202, when his mother reported the 5-year-old missing, but every attempt to find the child failed.
It appeared that Julian had been abducted by his dad, Bobby, during a custody dispute, but he apparently drained his bank accounts and left no traces of himself. So it was impossible to find him as he’d gone off the radar.
During the application process, Julian learned that his social security number didn’t match his name. So he spoke with an advisor who went on to help him figure out what had happened.
She was convinced that he had taken part in her son’s non custodial parental abduction, but Bobby had vanished as well.
In an Ohio courtroom, Julian told Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams that he didn’t believe that his dad deserved to go to jail, which caused Bobby to break down in tears.
When she tried to figure out the mystery between Julian and his non-matching social security number, she discovered that he was listed as missing by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
He broke down as he tried to explain why he took his son. He described Julian as “the most important person in my life”.
Eventually, he pleaded guilty to charges that included kidnapping, interference of custody, tampering with records, and of course, forgery.
Meanwhile, his mother had been worried sick, not knowing whether he was dead or alive. She described the experience as scary for any mother to go through.
The age progression didn’t help her find her son, but she still managed to get him back. Now she hopes that her story will serve as a reminder to other parents who are searching for their missing children to never give up hope.
He pleaded with the court not to throw his dad in jail despite the fact that Bobby had kept him from his biological mom for over ten years.
They were living with a woman and two other children, though it’s unclear what relation they have to Bobby or Julian.
It didn’t seem to affect Julian that his dad, who was supposed to drop him off at preschool on August 28th, 2002 wound up taking him and changing his family name to Mangina.
The mom had explained that the moment Julian went missing was the worst day of her life, while his grandmother said that she hoped that Bobby’s suffering was as long as theirs had been.
To date, details about Bobby’s life with Julian have been kept under wraps, but many people would like to know how he acquired new social security numbers for himself and his son.
A representative for her side of the family said that everyone was overjoyed to learn that Julian was safe and thanked everyone who had kept their hopes up and shown them so much support over the years.
Fortunately, his mother’s side of the family isn’t pushing him in anyway. They actually applaud him for his efforts to learn who he is after living a 13-year lie.
That’s because the judge issues a no-contact order, but he wanted the court to know that his client was a model father to his son, who grew up to become a straight-A student and an athlete.
Bobby doesn’t just have to deal with the charges in Ohio, but also has to face charges that include interfering with custody, which is a felony that carries imprisonment of up to ten years back in Alabama.
While missing posters like this went up, Bobby was already living with Julian under an assumed name, 700 miles away from his former home.
She claims that he was “angry, controlling and a vengeful person.” She also stated that “Bobby kidnapped him because he wanted to get even with Julian’s mother for leaving him – this is not the sign of a good father”.
But after so many years, Julian finally visited his mother and her family in Alabama last Thanksgiving and at Christmas, giving them quite possibly, the best holiday season in a long time.
He clothed him, fed him, and made sure he had a good education. His biggest crime was that he kept Julian from his mother for so many years.
Authorities will likely meet with Julian’s relatives to determine whether they want to press charges for interfering with custody.
Bobby now has to serve four years in prison, followed by five years of supervised released. But given the possibility of facing more charges in Alabama, it remains unclear if or when he’ll be able to speak with his son, Julian.
**Click on the video below to relive how this shocking story unfolded of how this Alabama boy who had gone missing at 5 reappeared in Ohio 13 years later.**