There are typically more than a half a million missing persons reports filed each year and as police well know, the chances of finding them decrease exponentially as time goes on. That’s just part of what makes this story so amazing. Although he went missing 19 years ago, police were finally able to track down Richard Landers Jr, though he was no longer a boy—he was now a married man.
The story begins way back in 1989 during a rocky divorce between Richard Landers Sr and his wife Lisa Harter, with a then five-year-old Landers Jr caught in the middle. In the midst of fierce arguments over custody, Landers Jr’s grandparents hatched a dangerous plan. They decided to take the boy in their car and flee their home in Wolcotte, Indiana, driving all the way to Long Prairie, Minnesota.
When the police tracked him down, he was still in Minnesota with his grandparents also living on the property.
Did they do the right thing? Should they face any kind of jail time for what they did? For their part, the grandparents chose to remain mute on the story as most likely would. There is, of course, more detail and nuance to this tale that we’ll let you discover for yourself. One thing is for sure, this has to be one of the strangest missing persons cases we’ve ever heard of.
Check out the video here and be sure to pay attention for the face of Landers Jr’s mother and father when they find out that their baby boy is safe and sound—and now a full grown man.
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[Source: ABC News]
Dantheman