Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 22, 1995 TAG: 9509220066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Aliff - who had custody of the child for the summer - failed to return him to her estranged husband, Lewis R. Hawkins of Bedford County, according to Richard Lawrence, an attorney who represents Hawkins in a divorce case.
Lawrence said Aliff was supposed to return the child to Hawkins in time for him to start school this month, but now both Aliff and the child are nowhere to be found.
Aliff has apparently moved out of an apartment in West Hollywood, her last known address, according to Detective Ruby McKoy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
"Unfortunately, what's happened now is that we can't locate her or the child to mediate an ending to this thing," McKoy said Thursday. "Obviously there's a problem between the two families, and we don't want the child abducted or hidden."
Aliff, meanwhile, has filed a report with the West Hollywood police, claiming that Hawkins came to her apartment last month and attempted to abduct the child while she had legal custody.
"She is not bringing the child back because of concerns about the safety and welfare of the child," said John Lichtenstein, a Roanoke attorney who represents Aliff.
Although Aliff initially had agreed to return the child to Hawkins at the end of the summer, Lichtenstein said there was no court order requiring her to do so. A hearing has been scheduled for next week in Bedford County Circuit Court in an attempt to resolve the custody issue, he said.
Authorities believe that Aliff is still in the West Hollywood area, possibly staying with a friend, McKoy said. California authorities are waiting to learn more about the Bedford custody agreement before deciding what to do once the child is located.
"If I located the child right now, I would place him in protective custody," McKoy said.
The dispute first came to the attention of West Hollywood authorities on Aug. 21, when Aliff reported to police that Hawkins came to her apartment and attempted to abduct their son. Hawkins, who lives in Goodview, told police he went to California to look for his son because a judge had told Aliff not to leave Virginia, McKoy said.
Since then, California authorities have issued a bulletin instructing officers to be on the lookout for Aliff and her son.
Aliff, who graduated from Roanoke County's Cave Spring High School, was crowned Miss Virginia in 1983. She later moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career.
It is not uncommon for parents involved in custody disputes to abduct their children, according to Julia Cartwright of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
A study by the U.S. Justice Department estimated that there are about 354,000 parental abductions every year across the country, Cartwright said.
"Often the children really become pawns for the parents," Cartwright said. "The abductions are not so much out of love for the children as they are a way for the parents to get back at each other."
by CNB