Click Here

Canadian Court Hearing Postponed in Apex Abduction Case

Missing_Twins
A court hearing in Ottawa was postponed until Thursday for a Florida woman accused of kidnapping and taking to Canada twins she gave up at birth.

Allison Quets, 49, faces federal charges of international parental kidnapping in Ottawa after authorities found her there late Friday with 17-month-olds Holly and Tyler Needham, whose adoptive parents live in Apex.

Meanwhile, international attention in the case keeps building, driving a the debate on parental rights.

Various anti-adoption groups showed up at the Ottawa courthouse Tuesday to support Quets. They believe the kidnapping case needs to be tempered by understanding the complicated emotions involved with adoptions.

"What do you do when you reach the end of your rope and you've done everything that the legal system has asked you to do?" said Sheri Sexton of Origins Canada, an adoption support group. "At that point, do you just give up and do you walk away? Like, I said, I'm not condoning what she's done, but I certainly, as a mother, understand."

Quets' attorney, Jeff Schroeder, was quick to downplay the case Tuesday and the way it was treated by authorities.

"There was no Amber Alert. There was never a hint that this woman was in any way, shape or form anything but a nurturing, caring, loving mother," he said.

Schroeder would not say whether he will fight extradition at Thursday's court hearing, but did tell WRAL that he will appeal to get his client released on bond.

Meanwhile, the twins are back with their adoptive parents, Kevin and Denise Needham. They are not commenting about details of the case but did release a statement through their attorney early Tuesday evening.

"We returned home from Canada with Holly and Tyler on Sunday and have been able to celebrate a wonderful Christmas and New Year," they said.


0 Comments


Golo

Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.

You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.

View Comments View Comments

Photo Spotlight
0
1
2
3
4
5
[+] more photos | submit your photos
Report It
Send us your news photos, videos, tips and story ideas.
Submit Videos Submit Photos Submit Reports
  1. 2009christmasparade
    Bands, marchers in holiday parade

    Choose your group to watch their performance in the 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade.

  2. 2009christmasparade26
    Web only: Complete 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade

    Watch the parade in its entirety from the comfort of your computer any time.

  3. taxes
    Search for missing IRS refunds

    The Internal Revenue Service released the names this week of more than 100,000 taxpayers who have not received their 2009 income tax refund.

  4. County Unemployment Rates
    North Carolina unemployment rates

    View an interactive map with county unemployment numbers.

  5. Drought Map
    A year of N.C. Drought Maps

    View a time lapse animation of drought conditions during the last year.

Click Here