Their return was partially due to efforts of Gwinnett Daily Online News

10 Year Anniversary Marks Return of 2 Kidnapped Gwinnett Children to their Father .

From Gwinnettdailyonline

The kidnapped children were expedited home via US Dept. of Justice Learjet to be reunited with their father and family.

LAWRENCEVILLE – In September of 2002 – two kidnapped Gwinnett children who were being held hostage in the Cayman Islands were reunited with their father thanks in-part to the efforts of Gwinnett Daily Online News along with Google News.

Credit also goes to the observant and diligent citizen who read about the kidnap victims online at GwinnettDailyOnline.com and reported the information to the authorities.

Full Original Story:

Gwinnett Online News Website credited with rescue of 2 kidnapped children hidden in Caymans for two years  

GDO Report

LAWRENCEVILLE – After searching for two years, a Gwinnett County man learned that his two kidnapped children were being held hostage by their mother in the Cayman Islands.

Jeff Weeks was awarded custody of his daughter and son, now 10 and 9 years old, in October 2000.

But the children were kidnapped by their mother and stepfather days after the court decision in a bitter custody battle.

On September 18th of 2002, police located the children’s mother, 34-year-old Joyce Williams of Dacula, and her husband Patrick Williams in Georgetown on Grand Cayman Island.

A tip concerning the family’s whereabouts was called in to police by someone who found a Gwinnett Daily Online News article through Google News, said Gwinnett County sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Rapien.

“I called (Mr. Weeks) to the office because I didn’t want him to fall down on the phone,” Rapien said. “Of course he was in awe.”

Joyce and Patrick Williams have been living in Georgetown since they left Georgia, said Orrett Connor, chief immigration officer for the Cayman Islands.

Patrick Williams was working as a music minister. Joyce Williams, a former teacher at Dacula Elementary School, was an administrative assistant and was also teaching kindergarten, Rapien said.

“A citizen brought it to (the Office of Immigration’s) attention,” Rapien said. “He went to the same church and something struck him as curious: They would never say where they were from, and I found their behavior to be very suspicious.” he said.

Mr. Weeks’ attorney, Shaun McCann, went to court Friday to obtain papers requiring the Williams to turn over all their travel papers and making the children wards of the court.

“The next step would be to go back to court to resolve the issue as to if and when the children are to go back,” McCann said.

The Williams have two weeks to appeal in the court of the Cayman Islands and have indicated they plan to fight for custody, Connor said.

“They said they were never aware of the custody order because they were not in the state to receive it,” Connor said.

Weeks said prior to his former wife’s marriage in 2000, their 1997 divorce had been amicable and both shared custody of their children.

For more on this story go to: http://gwinnettdailyonline.com/GDP/archive/article25A4F8873181405ABA14D045E812032E.asp