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Family Denied Custody of Missing Girl: Mother, Daughter at Large Since March 9

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 March 2006, 09:00 CST

By Sergio Chapa, The Brownsville Herald, Texas

Mar. 21--Relatives of a missing Brownsville mother were denied a custody request Monday after filing for guardianship of her 8-year-old girl, who police say was kidnapped by her mother March 9. Melissa Van Holsbeke, 50, was supposed to turn Raven Sierra Johnson over to her father earlier this month but instead has gone missing with her daughter in tow, according to attorneys for her estranged husband. An arrest warrant has been issued for Van Holsbeke on a state jail felony charge of interfering with child custody after she failed to surrender the girl. Under state law, Van Holsbeke faces six months to two years in state jail and/or a $10,000 fine. The Brownsville woman lost custody to the girl's father Dean Johnson of Cody, Wyo., during a March 2002 divorce proceeding in which Johnson alleged Van Holsbeke was mentally unstable and attempted suicide in front of the girl. Van Holsbeke denies the mental illness allegations and later filed charges alleging Johnson abused their daughter. "The family does feel that the child is in danger if they turn her over to him," Van Holsbeke's local attorney Angela Nix said. Johnson's local attorney, Reynaldo "Trey" Garza III, denies the family's allegations. Police and court records from Wyoming and Brownsville show that Johnson was cleared of the charges in May and June 2005. Local police told The Brownsville Herald last week that local forensic interviews revealed that Raven was "coached" by her mother. "She lost fair and square," Garza III said regarding Van Holsbeke's custody case. "I have had a lot of experience in child custody disputes. It is not uncommon to have a party raise child abuse allegations and wield them to win custody. Often those allegations are proven to be false." While Van Holsbeke remains a fugitive, her family filed a request for custody and to receive a protective order against Johnson on Monday in Judge Menton Murray's 103rd state District Court. Murray denied the family's request without a hearing. Van Holsbeke's family also filed a pending appeal with the Wyoming Supreme Court on Monday to get custody of the girl. The Wyoming man said he has remained in Brownsville since March 9 and wants to speak with his ex-wife's family about dropping criminal charges and returning Raven to him.

"It's the hardest thing I've ever went through in my life," he said. Johnson said some child abuse experts believe that a child who is coached by a parent sometimes begins to believe the lie. "I realize that when I get Raven, I'm going to have to put her into some intense counseling to get her past this," he said. "How can a parent do that to their own child? What Melissa is doing is worse than the actual act."

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Brownsville Herald, Texas

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Source: The Brownsville Herald

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