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The 17 months old's parents told authorities they gave a woman at a Sydney coffee shop $200 to care for the child
The AFP and federal circuit and family court of Australia made a rare public appeal on Friday to find the boy, Hoang Vinh Le.
The police and court said in a statement that Vinh was removed from the court-ordered care of his maternal grandmother in April by his parents Hoang Thanh Le and Lyn Kim Do.
His parents told authorities that in mid-May they gave Vinh to a person they identified as ‘Kathy Nguyen’, who they met at a Sydney coffee shop, and had paid her $200 to care for the child.
The parents were arrested on 20 May, but Vinh was not located and has not been seen since. The parents have not provided details about who is caring for Vinh and where he is, and authorities have been unable to confirm whether ‘Kathy Nguyen’ exists.
In an affidavit to the court filed in August – part of which was made public under a court order issued in a bid to assist in finding Vinh – Do said Vinh was in the care of a friend who was also his godmother.
“I’m stuck in a predicament where I could not provide the much-needed care for my child and my worries for his welfare and safety grows with each passing day,” Do said in the affidavit.
“He’s currently at a delicate age of one where he will need a lot of attention, love and care from his parents, which I could not provide due to fearing the authority would come to more [sic] doorstep and snatch my child from me.
The AFP and federal circuit and family court of Australia made a rare public appeal on Friday to find the boy, Hoang Vinh Le.
The police and court said in a statement that Vinh was removed from the court-ordered care of his maternal grandmother in April by his parents Hoang Thanh Le and Lyn Kim Do.
His parents told authorities that in mid-May they gave Vinh to a person they identified as ‘Kathy Nguyen’, who they met at a Sydney coffee shop, and had paid her $200 to care for the child.
The parents were arrested on 20 May, but Vinh was not located and has not been seen since. The parents have not provided details about who is caring for Vinh and where he is, and authorities have been unable to confirm whether ‘Kathy Nguyen’ exists.
In an affidavit to the court filed in August – part of which was made public under a court order issued in a bid to assist in finding Vinh – Do said Vinh was in the care of a friend who was also his godmother.
“I’m stuck in a predicament where I could not provide the much-needed care for my child and my worries for his welfare and safety grows with each passing day,” Do said in the affidavit.
“He’s currently at a delicate age of one where he will need a lot of attention, love and care from his parents, which I could not provide due to fearing the authority would come to more [sic] doorstep and snatch my child from me.
Australian federal police make rare public appeal to find missing child Hoang Vinh Le
The one-year-old’s parents told authorities they gave a woman at a Sydney coffee shop $200 to care for the child
www.theguardian.com