Page 33 - MIN JUS - MAY 18,2015
P. 33
WORLD NEWS 9
Saturday 16 May 2015
Mexico judge returns
girl to custody of U.S.
mom after 8 years
MARIA VERZA lated widely of Alondra Alondra Diaz Garcia arrives for a court hearing in Los Reyes, Mexico, Tuesday, May 12, 2015.
PETER ORSI Luna screaming and des- Associated Press
Associated Press perately resisting as police
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A dragged her away. DNA
Mexican judge returned a testing performed after the
long-missing teenager to girl was taken to the United
her U.S. mother Friday, end- States showed she was not
ing the woman’s eight-year Garcia’s daughter, and
search and a cross-border she returned to her real
custody case in which an- family in Guanajuato.
other girl was mistakenly With a media spotlight now
sent to Texas against her on the case, Reynaldo Diaz
will. delivered the real Alondra
Alondra Diaz, 13, and Diaz to family members
Houston resident Dorotea who then presented her to
Garcia emerged from the authorities, saying she was
courthouse together un- prepared to go live with
der heavy police guard her mother.
following the afternoon rul- Garcia had an emotional
ing in Los Reyes, a town in reunion with her daughter
the southwestern state of this week in a courtroom in
Michoacan. The previous Los Reyes.
day, DNA tests confirmed In the case of the first girl,
her identity. the judge denied requests
Clad in jeans, a turquoise by her and her family for
T-shirt and matching back- DNA tests, saying it was not
pack, Alondra climbed within her authority. This
into the backseat of a po- time Mercado waited for
lice van with her beaming DNA confirmation.
mother and the two em- The difference in treatment
braced. They did not com- prompted Alondra Luna
ment publicly, but Judge and her parents to travel to
Cinthia Elodia Mercado Los Reyes to stake out the
called the case closed. courthouse Friday and de-
“The recovery of a minor mand an apology.
by an applicant mother “We have been here since
has happened,” Mercado 9 a.m. and the judge does
said. “This is over.” not want to see us, nor will
Alondra Diaz was taken to she open the door, and
Mexico in 2007 by her fa- she says that if we remain
ther, Reynaldo Diaz, with- here she will call police to
out her mother’s consent, remove us,” said Susana
and her whereabouts had Nunez, the girl’s mother.
not been known until re- “We want to make it clear
cently. Garcia has indicat- that my girl’s rights were
ed that she would drop le- trampled.”
gal complaints against the Nunez said the family in-
father if she got custody. tended to file formal com-
The case gained interna- plaints next week but
tional attention last month wanted to meet face-to-
after Mercado erroneously face with Mercado first to
ruled that 14-year-old Alon- express their displeasure.
dra Luna was the missing “I see this as a kidnapping
girl and ordered her turned that was ordered by the
over to Garcia. judge,” the girl’s father,
Video recordings circu- Gustavo Luna, said.q
