Jean Paul Missing

This case was running through my mind this morning.  I was searching through my files and the date December 18, 2009 popped up.  That was the last time I brought you the case of Jean Paul who was taken illegally from his bus stop.  Since then, a grand jury issued a felony indictment for the felony offenses of kidnapping, aggravated perjury and interference with child custody against his father, Jean Philippe Lacombe.

Investigators say Jean Paul Lacombe was abducted by his non-custodial father, Jean Philippe Lacombe, on October 15, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas.  Lacombe allegedly gave the court invalid Mexican Documents to overturn the case, and the judge gave him custody.  Lacombe was supposed to show back up for a court hearing on Monday, October 19, 2009, but instead he fled with his son.

HISTORY OF CUSTODY: 

Cliff Herberg with the Bexar District Attorney’s office in Texas says there are 1,400 pages pertaining to this case that have accumulated over the years in Mexican court.  He has not had a chance to review every single page, but Mr. Herberg was able to provide a timeline and background of custody between the parents. 

 2003:  Divorce proceedings began 

2004:  Divorce is finalized, and both parties agree Jean Paul will live with his father, and his mother will have “extended access” meaning she would still see her son on a daily basis by picking him up from school, taking him home, eating dinner with him.

March 2005:  Father closes off son to the mother, she couldn’t see him.

  Because the father was in violation of the extended access agreement, the Mexican court gave full custody to Jean Paul’s mother.

Jean Philippe Lacombe

June 2005:

July 2005:  Father abducts son and takes him to France.

July 2007:  After two years of searching, mom finally locates her son and his father in France.  She hires a French attorney, and the court ordered the boy be returned to Mexico.

2006 – 2007:  According to the District Attorney’s office, basically, the father files criminal charges against the mother citing allegations of attempted murder against him.  The Mexican government says these were unfounded allegations.  During this period, the court ordered suspending the obligation to return the child to the mother (temporarily) suspending custody resolution.  A piece of paper on this resolution was given to the father.  Once the charges were unfounded, the Mexican government gave the full custody paperwork back to the mother.   

2007:  Mom moves to Texas with her family to give her son a better life.

October 2009:  Unknown to the mother, the father hires two attorneys and meets with a judge.  The father swore under oath he has custodial rights to his son, and shows the judge the original custody paperwork from 2004 and the suspended custody resolution from the year prior that says he should have custody.  The judge orders the son to be taken from his mother.

October 19, 2009:  Father and son were supposed to show back up to court, but instead fled.  They are possibly out of the country.

I spoke with Jean Paul’s mother Berenice Diaz early on, and she says her son likes to go by the name Paul only.  He loves to play soccer, and he’s a very good student in school.  When Paul grows up, he wants to be a pastry chef.  Paul speaks English, Spanish and French, and was last seen with his father, Jean Paul Lacombe. Prior to October, it had been nearly two years since Paul last saw his father.  Berenice says her son did not want to talk to or see his father, and he told her he would let her know when he was ready.  

There is a warrant out for Jean Philippe Lacombe’s arrest.  Berenice was married to Jean Philippe for seven years before they were divorced in Mexico.  She says this is not the first time Lacombe kidnapped their son.  In 2005, Lacombe took off with Paul for two years before they were found in France.  Later in 2007, Berenice decided to move her family to San Antonio, Texas to give her son a safer environment to live. If you have any information, please call police.

Fox 29 in San Antonio has video of police taking Jean Paul from his bus stop.