David Matusiewicz, accused of abducting his three daughters in 2007, has been apprehended in Nicaragua. Now, he's returned to the United States to face justice, and his daughters have been reunited with their family.
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David Matusiewicz is a licensed optometrist in the State of Delaware who was last seen on Aug. 26, 2007.
New Castle, Del. police are seeking the public's help in locating 40-year-old David Matusiewicz. Matusiewicz was last seen by his ex-wife, Christine Belford, when she dropped off their three children for visitation on August 26, 2007.
According to authorities, Matusiewicz and the children were supposed to be going on vacation for two weeks, but when the family did not return at their scheduled time, Belford contacted the police.
In violation of a family court order, authorities discovered Matusiewicz had absconded with the couple's three little girls -- Laura, 5, Leigh, 4, Karen, 2 -- and police have issued warrants for David's arrest.
On Feb. 1, 2008, police issued a felony kidnapping warrant for Lenore Matusiewicz, David's mother.
Christine Belford lives in fear that her ex-husband may try non-sanctioned "biofeedback therapy" on their 4-year-old daughter, Leigh, who was diagnosed with Autism. Bedford says her husband was obsessed with the idea that he could "cure" Leigh.
Police say Matusiewicz was traveling with his mother -- Lenore F. Matusiewicz -- when he fled the state of Delaware.
Matusiewicz is a gun enthusiast who had at least a dozen guns, including a .357 Magnum he kept at his previous residence.
Matusiewicz worked as a licensed optometrist in the state of Delaware and may still be working in the field. He is wanted for three counts of felony interference with custody.
In a team effort by US Marshalls and New Castle County, Del. police, David Matusiewicz was arrested on March 13, 2009. Police say Matusiewicz had fled to Nicaraugua with the girls and was hiding out outside of Managua with the girls and his mother, Lenore. David and Lenore were both arrested. The girls were safely returned home to their mother in Delaware.
David Matusiewicz, accused of kidnapping his daughters in 2007 and fleeing the country, has been arrested in the small village of Catarina, Nicaragua. The U.S. Marshals Service and the New Castle County, Del. Police teamed up to locate him, and their efforts finally paid off.
Police say Matusiewicz was pulled over in the early morning of March 13, 2009, and was escorted back to the motor home he had been living in.
Thankfully, his three daughters were found safely in the home, where they had been living with David’s mother, Lenore. Authorities had also sought Lenore as a fugitive, and they believe that she was helping her son remain in hiding.
Lenore and David were both arrested, and have been charged with felony interference.
Police say they were determined to find the girls, and would do all they could to return them safely to their family. The sisters are now back at home with their mother in Delaware.
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