In 2002, Julian Hernandez went missing from Birmingham, Alabama, at the age of five after his father, Bobby Hernandez – who later went by the name Jonathan Mangina abducted him.
The thought of a missing child is a parent’s worst nightmare, and for more than a decade, Julian’s mother suffered from depression and considered suicide.
Bobby Hernandez had taken Julian to Cleveland and given them new identities after claiming he was taking the boy to preschool.
Thankfully, after 13 years, Julian managed to piece together his past and found his way home. It is a story of hope amidst heartbreak, and Julian’s mother, Gloria Allred, expressed her gratitude to everyone who had helped in her son’s recovery.
Julian’s mother reported him missing in August 2002, and authorities began searching for the five-year-old after receiving the report.
The missing person’s report indicates that Julian’s parents lived in separate apartments in the Vestavia Park Apartments at the time of his disappearance. However, it is unclear if they were married.
Despite numerous leads, law enforcement was not successful in locating Julian until November 2015, when he was found safe in Ohio with his father, Bobby Hernandez, who had allegedly abducted him.
Bobby Hernandez was later charged with abduction and sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to several felony offenses. During the 13 years that Julian was missing, he and his father lived under false names in Cleveland, Ohio.
Now 18 years old, Julian has been reunited with his mother after his long-awaited return.
Discovery
According to Brandon Falls, the district attorney for Emerson County, the case of Julian Hernandez missing came to light when Julian tried to apply for college using a false name.
During the application process, Julian’s Social Security number did not match his name, leading to suspicions that something was amiss. Julian then worked with a school counselor to determine the cause of the issue.
They eventually discovered that Julian was listed as missing on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database.
As a result of the discovery, Hernandez was issued a warrant for his arrest on the charge of interference with custody in November.
However, before he can be extradited to Alabama, where he faces potential jail time of one to ten years for his criminal accusations, he must serve his full sentence in an Ohio jail.
Bobby Hernandez, who has already spent over a year of his four-year sentence, has filed a motion for an early release in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Bobby pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping, two counts of interfering with custody, and nine counts of tampering with records, for which he was credited with serving time in prison.
The decision on whether to schedule a hearing for his early release rests with Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams, and the prosecution must respond to the motion.
Bobby Hernandez arrested
According to Alabama police records, Hernandez removed his then-5-year-old son Julian Hernandez from his mother’s house in 2002 and left a note claiming to have been fishing.
Still, they came up empty-handed until 2015, when they found Julian living with Hernandez in a home in Cleveland’s Tremont district.
According to Ralph DeFranco, who filed Hernandez’s application for judicial release, the defendant “recognizes that he must be punished for his conduct, including depriving the boy’s mother of contact with her son for more than ten years.”
The remarks are similar to what Julian Hernandez made at his father’s sentencing in April.
In her testimony before Cuyahoga Common Pleas Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams, Hernandez said, “He loved me and protected me more than anyone else could during my life.” I have nothing to say besides asking you not to put my father in jail.
