FEBRUARY 11, 2010
YORK REGION NEWS : NEWMARKET ERA BANNER NEWSPAPER
ttp://www.yorkregion.com/News/Newmarket/article/103000
Stephen Watkins poses with a photograph of his sons in front of his house. In the background area a heart wrenching banner and outdoor light with two bulbs symbolizing his two sons, whom Mr. Watkins says were abducted by their mother and taken out of the country. York Regional Police is investigating.
Stephen Watkins hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in about a year.
The Newmarket resident, called York Regional Police March 9, 2009 to report his two boys, Alexander, now eight, and Christopher, now five, were missing.
He hasn’t seen the boys since.
Also missing is Mr. Watkins ex-wife Edyta Watkins (Ustaszewski), for whom York police have issued a Canadawide warrant for abduction in contravention of a custody order, said the officer in charge of the case, Det.-Const. Jesse Mann.
The charge has not been proven in court.
Mr. Watkins said he feels the same as a parent who has lost a child.
The months have dragged on since he last saw his boys, but Mr. Watkins said he is prepared for anything over the long haul.
“It’s like having a death but it’s not, because it’s the unknowing,” he said. “You never know where they are; you know they’re alive. So many families talk about closure. There’s no closure here.”
The boys were reported missing the Monday following a scheduled weekend visit with their mother, Det.-Const. Mann said.
Not long after Mr. Watkins was granted custody of the boys United States Homeland Security confirmed that on March 8, 2009 a woman and two boys took a flight from Rochester, N.Y. to Detroit, Mich. before departing for Frankfurt, Germany, he said.
Ms Watkins is a native of Poland, has family there and York police believe she and the boys are in that country, Det.-Const. Mann said.
The boys could also be recognized as Polish citizens, he added.
York police have been working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which has in turn been in contact with the transnational policing agency Interpol, Det.-Const. Mann said. Interpol can function as a pipeline to the Polish authorities, he added.
However, Canada has no extradition treaty with Poland, which creates “a difficult situation”, Det.-Const. Mann said.
That’s not deterring the York investigator however.
“We’ve operated with the idea that eventually she will be brought to justice,” he said. “We’re not going to give up.”
At the same time, Det.-Const. Mann said he has no information that would lead him to believe that the children are in danger.
In the aftermath of the boys’ disappearance, Mr. Watkins has been searching for answers.
He tried calling counselling services. It wasn’t easy, he said.
“It was not just picking up the phone and there you go,” Mr. Watkins added. “I would think that those professionals have to be trained on how somebody feels. It’s a grieving process, but it’s not the same.”
Eventually he was able to reach a woman who was helpful.
Mr. Watkins and his ex-wife were married about three years. They separated in 2004.
They met through a friend and had known each other for several years before they married, he said.
The absence of his children has put pressure on him, physically and mentally, he said.
He said he has put on weight and has felt the burden of mental stresses.
He also said he has spoken with families in other countries in similar circumstances.
But Mr. Watkins has also taken matters into his own hands and along with a website www.watkins-missing-children.com he has created pages on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and a blog.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “You watch the news and last night, there’s the kitten in the shoe. This is more important.”
Mr. Watkins said he is currently involved in a long-term relationship with another woman.
Meanwhile, Mr. Watkins’ former father-in-law, Ted Ustaszewski, is currently before the Newmarket courts on a charge of aiding and abetting an abduction, Det.-Const. Mann said.
He appeared in court this week.
The charge has not been proven.
But one way or another Mr. Watkins said he is working on getting the boys returned to his custody.
“That’s my number one priority,” he said.
If you have any information, call Det.-Const. Mann at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7188 or the RCMP at 613-993-1525.
ttp://www.yorkregion.com/News/Newmarket/article/103000
Reported by Joe Fantauzzi
Photo by Susie Kockerscheidt
Stephen Watkins hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in about a year.
The Newmarket resident, called York Regional Police March 9, 2009 to report his two boys, Alexander, now eight, and Christopher, now five, were missing.
He hasn’t seen the boys since.
Also missing is Mr. Watkins ex-wife Edyta Watkins (Ustaszewski), for whom York police have issued a Canadawide warrant for abduction in contravention of a custody order, said the officer in charge of the case, Det.-Const. Jesse Mann.
The charge has not been proven in court.
Mr. Watkins said he feels the same as a parent who has lost a child.
The months have dragged on since he last saw his boys, but Mr. Watkins said he is prepared for anything over the long haul.
“It’s like having a death but it’s not, because it’s the unknowing,” he said. “You never know where they are; you know they’re alive. So many families talk about closure. There’s no closure here.”
The boys were reported missing the Monday following a scheduled weekend visit with their mother, Det.-Const. Mann said.
Not long after Mr. Watkins was granted custody of the boys United States Homeland Security confirmed that on March 8, 2009 a woman and two boys took a flight from Rochester, N.Y. to Detroit, Mich. before departing for Frankfurt, Germany, he said.
Ms Watkins is a native of Poland, has family there and York police believe she and the boys are in that country, Det.-Const. Mann said.
The boys could also be recognized as Polish citizens, he added.
York police have been working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which has in turn been in contact with the transnational policing agency Interpol, Det.-Const. Mann said. Interpol can function as a pipeline to the Polish authorities, he added.
However, Canada has no extradition treaty with Poland, which creates “a difficult situation”, Det.-Const. Mann said.
That’s not deterring the York investigator however.
“We’ve operated with the idea that eventually she will be brought to justice,” he said. “We’re not going to give up.”
At the same time, Det.-Const. Mann said he has no information that would lead him to believe that the children are in danger.
In the aftermath of the boys’ disappearance, Mr. Watkins has been searching for answers.
He tried calling counselling services. It wasn’t easy, he said.
“It was not just picking up the phone and there you go,” Mr. Watkins added. “I would think that those professionals have to be trained on how somebody feels. It’s a grieving process, but it’s not the same.”
Eventually he was able to reach a woman who was helpful.
Mr. Watkins and his ex-wife were married about three years. They separated in 2004.
They met through a friend and had known each other for several years before they married, he said.
The absence of his children has put pressure on him, physically and mentally, he said.
He said he has put on weight and has felt the burden of mental stresses.
He also said he has spoken with families in other countries in similar circumstances.
But Mr. Watkins has also taken matters into his own hands and along with a website www.watkins-missing-children.com he has created pages on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and a blog.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “You watch the news and last night, there’s the kitten in the shoe. This is more important.”
Mr. Watkins said he is currently involved in a long-term relationship with another woman.
Meanwhile, Mr. Watkins’ former father-in-law, Ted Ustaszewski, is currently before the Newmarket courts on a charge of aiding and abetting an abduction, Det.-Const. Mann said.
He appeared in court this week.
The charge has not been proven.
But one way or another Mr. Watkins said he is working on getting the boys returned to his custody.
“That’s my number one priority,” he said.
If you have any information, call Det.-Const. Mann at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7188 or the RCMP at 613-993-1525.
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