American father Michael McCarty fights to rescue his son from an Italian orphanage

Michael and Liam McCarty
Photo used with permission

In 2007, Liam McCarty was kidnapped by his mother and taken out of the country in violation of a NY court order. After arriving in Italy, Italian officials determined that she was an unfit mother and placed the boy in an orphanage. For more than two years, Michael McCarty, who has sole legal and physical custody of young Liam, has fought to bring his son home.

Background

In 2007, Michael McCarty and Manuela Antonelli were involved in a nasty custody battle over Liam in New York where the family resided.

Antonelli had made numerous allegations of abuse against McCarty but investigations by the NYPD, New York District Attorney's Office, Children's Services, and numerous court-appointed mental health professionals all found the accusations to be "unfounded," "baseless," and "false."

Antonelli was diagnosed with severe personality disorders and was determined to be an unfit parent. Sole legal and physical custody was awarded to McCarty, an order was issued that Liam not be taken out of the United States, and a judicial finding of parental alienation was made against the mother.

The Abduction

On March 5, 2007, Manuela Antonelli picked her son up from kindergarten and fled the country in direct violation of the court orders. She returned with the boy to her native Italy where she continued to make accusations of abuse against McCarty.

According to the Hague Convention, Italian officials should have returned Liam to the US where his father had legal custody. For some reason, they did not, setting off a battle in Italian courts.

For nearly two years, Michael McCarty was denied any access to his son. Eventually, the Italian courts came to the conclusion on their own that Antonelli's accusations were false and that she was a danger to Liam. Still, instead of returning the boy to his father, Italian Social Services assumed custody and Liam was placed in an orphanage.

The Battle Continues

Over the past few months, Michael McCarty has been able to visit his son in the orphanage under strict supervision, but there is no word on when he will be able to bring the boy home. McCarty says he is concerned that his son's condition seems to be deteriorating while the case is tied up in Italian courts.

Manuela Antonelli is wanted by the FBI and Interpol but Italy has refused to extradite her. She is still on the run.

Like David Goldman and thousands of other parents of abducted children, Michael McCarty has sworn to never give up the fight to bring his son home. He has set up a website to tell his story and accept donations to fund his ongoing legal battle and travel to visit his son.