Chinese couple find abducted son after 16 years, revealing harrowing tale of abuse

Photo courtesy of Sanook

After 16 distressing years, a Chinese couple was joyously reunited with their son who had been abducted as an infant. The child, however, bore the scars of a horrendous ordeal, a sight that caused immense pain to the overjoyed parents.

The story begins in 2006 in the Mutan district of Hezhou, Guangxi, China, where a 22 day old infant was taken from his home while his mother stepped out upon receiving an urgent call from a friend. The parents’ frantic search yielded no results, leading to the conclusion that the child had been kidnapped.

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The lack of widespread CCTV coverage in rural areas at the time left them without any leads to the abductor.

Faced with agonising sorrow, the couple continued their relentless search for their abducted son for years, their hope gradually dwindling due to the slim chances of a reunion.

Unexpectedly, 16 years later, they received a call from the police informing them of their abducted son’s discovery. However, seeing their now 16 year old son’s physical condition brought them to tears. The boy had no memory of his blood relatives, his body was covered in scars, his legs were disabled, his tongue had been cut, impairing his speech, and severe malnutrition made him look no older than a nine or ten year old.

Investigators pieced together a harrowing tale. After the abduction, the boy had been used as a source of income by his kidnappers, growing up in an environment of begging, physical abuse, and starvation, resulting in severe malnutrition and daily struggle for survival, reported Sanook.

Upon learning the truth about their son’s nightmarish existence for the past 16 years after being abducted, the parents felt as if they were being tortured themselves. They tearfully apologised to their son for his suffering, to which the boy wiped their tears and tightly hugged them in an attempt to console them, despite being unable to utter any words.

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While not a completely happy ending, the boy had the chance to reunite with his family and resume a normal life, free from torture and begging.

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China News

Neill Fronde

Neill is a journalist from the United States with 10+ years broadcasting experience and national news and magazine publications. He graduated with a degree in journalism and communications from the University of California and has been living in Thailand since 2014.

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