TORONTO (AP) – The mother of a kid kidnapped in 1987 said Monday that she was stunned when she learned that he had been found and moved to find her again. 31 years later. She urged others to never give up hope of finding their missing loved ones.

Lyneth Mann-Lewis, who learned last week that the authorities had found her son in Connecticut, said at a press conference in Toronto that, when they met, "I l & # 39; I caught, I shook my head and wanted to feel it was real. I touched him and said, "Oh my God, baby."

Jermaine Mann, now 33, said, "Mom, you have my eyes," he kissed me and kissed me. We stood there for a long time.

She said she has spent many difficult days over the last 31 years and boarded a flight to find her son shortly after learning Thursday that he had been found.

"The words" your son is alive, we found it "is amazing," she said. "The constant worry is finally over."

Mann-Lewis said that she had cooked for her son and told the details of his life during long conversations at his hotel.

"I want to encourage other families with missing children and their loved ones never to ever give up to find them. I am the proof that after 31 long years of suffering, we must never give up, "she said. "Be patient, be strong and believe that anything is possible."

Allan Mann Jr. was arrested Friday in Vernon, Connecticut and charged with kidnapping his then 21-month-old son during a court-ordered visit to Toronto on June 24, 1987.

The authorities claim that he then entered the United States – where he had family – and got a false identity for himself and his son, including fake birth certificates in Texas.

Authorities told a family member that he may be living in Connecticut under a different name.

Mann, 66, briefly appeared in federal court Friday in Hartford, accused of making false statements in transactions with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Hartford Courant reported that the son sobbed in the front row, head in his hands, and that he was leaving the courthouse without comment. Jermaine Mann had learned that her mother died shortly after birth, Toronto police said.

"They basically lived a life of lies about who they were and what they did, unbeknownst to Jermaine," Det. Wayne Banks said.

Allan Mann, who has dual Canadian and Ghanaian citizenship, was found alive as Hailee DeSouza in HUD-subsidized housing in Vernon, about 20 km east of Hartford, federal officials said. .

After facing his charges in the United States, Allan Mann should be extradited to face a charge of kidnapping in Canada.

In August, US marshals interviewed several family members and friends of Allan Mann, including a family member who drove the authorities to Connecticut and his so-called nickname, according to an affidavit on the arrest warrant issued by a special agent of the HUD.

Later in the month, a forensic expert from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children analyzed an old photo of Allan Mann and the 2015 photo of the DeSouza, Connecticut, driver's license, and determined that it was probably the same person.

The investigation involved several US agencies, including HUD, the US Marshals, the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration, as well as the Toronto Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said his agency had organized a fugitive training conference in 2016 and that this case had been discussed with US law enforcement officials. .

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