In 2013, a Styrian woman married an American. In 2018, the two had a daughter. In 2021, the woman went with her on home leave. And her husband turned her in for kidnapping. Now he got custody of the little one.
The sun was shining, it was pleasantly warm, the birds were singing. “The world seemed peaceful,” Vanessa Y. sobbed, “when I played with my daughter.” On the morning of June 8, in western Styria; in the yard of a house “owned by friends of mine”.
The mother had been there for over three weeks with four-year-old Sandy (name changed) went into hiding, “we had switched rooms seven times in the meantime”, in the panic of an investigation by the authorities. “Because I knew what would happen then…”
“They didn’t feel sorry for us either”
And now their horror fantasies became reality: several men and women came to the premises, “I ran with my little one to the first floor and hid in a room with her”, but soon the police officers managed to open the door,” and she snatched my daughter from me”.
“Mom, I want to stay with you,” the daughter cried anxiously. “No, you can’t do that, you can’t take my child from me,” she begged the officers. “But my plea was futile.”
End of custody battle for now
A little later, Sandy was handed over to her father, and he flew with her to his homeland in the US a long time ago: “And I have no idea how she is doing.” Because the 28-year-old’s husband – Mike Y. – refuses to call or Skype the girl. This is the – for now – end of a custody battle. Between two people who once loved each other.
Now Vannesa Y. sits in a room at her parents’ company in Graz, crying and crying and crying. “How am I supposed to live without my daughter?” she asks, but she doesn’t seem to expect an answer. The situation is too complicated, the hopelessness too great.
In this drama that, as she says, “suddenly broke over me”, which was “completely unpredictable”.
Mrs. Y., tell us about your marriage, your previous one!
“In 2012, I decided to go to Los Angeles for a year.” There she soon met Mike Y., a chef, who was seven years her senior: “We got along well and eventually fell in love. Yes, I thought I had found a great partner in him. Because he was so helpful to me, so empathetic. Really, I thought I had found happiness with him.” 2013 marriage.
How did everything go?
“Mike and I worked in the hospitality industry, we lived on the estate of his mother, who was a wealthy lawyer. In her pension.” The relationship between the two women – tense. “Because my mother-in-law treated my husband like a little boy and he followed her every order. The couple’s plans – to move to Texas or Florida – were therefore repeatedly postponed until later: ” Especially after Mike bought a restaurant and got it from his mom as a gift.”
On January 28, 2018, Sandy was born: “She was a dream child.” The Styrian woman’s dreams that her husband would become a father and be more independent would not have come true. “On the contrary: at a certain point he barely meddled in his business, playing computer games all night. Eventually his restaurant went bankrupt. And he started working irregularly as a taxi driver.”
Circumstances that increasingly led to arguments: “I couldn’t stand Mike’s laxity. ‘We have a child, you must finally learn to take responsibility’ – I tried to drum up that.” The man repeatedly promised to change: “But nothing happened.”
“With Corona, our situation escalated”
And then came Corona. “We isolate ourselves completely from the environment. A condition that exacerbated our problems. Which also had a negative impact on our daughter.” In June 2021, the couple therefore decided to go on holiday in the woman’s home country.
“Sandy felt very comfortable here. So I wanted to stay with her a little longer in Styria. And my husband agreed.’ Back in Los Angeles, however, he reported Vanessa Y. for kidnapping, filed for divorce, and filed for custody of the girl.
judgment acknowledged
The American court quickly granted him, the Austrian judiciary recognized the verdict, although the youth care system argued against it. However, there is a procedure against Mike Y. for suspected abuse of the four-year-old. “Separated from her father, she told me about terrible things he allegedly did to her.” Accusations that Mike Y. vehemently denies are called revenge by the 28-year-old.
The fear of Sandy is haunting, the mother says: “Since she was taken from me, I can hardly sleep or eat. I want nothing more than to be with her.” But she can’t, in America she is considered a kidnapper: “So I would be arrested immediately if I entered the country.” Vanessa Y’s future prospects? Bad.
The expensive fight for Sandy
Lawyers from Graz and the US are trying to get the case reopened; it could take years to get to that point. In addition, lawsuits in the United States are expensive, the woman’s parents have now spent 200,000 euros to fight for Sandy: “Our savings have been used up.”
The family therefore asks for donations. Steiermärkische Sparkasse, password Sandy: AT04 2081 5000 0169 5139.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
