Help Bring Mia & Liam Home

HELP BRING MIA AND LIAM HOME
Mia and (Adel) Liam’s natural father, Wissam Tarabichi, stated he was taking the children to Seattle for a one-week holiday from March 24-31, 2018, returning the children to school on April 3. Instead, he abducted them to Lebanon in the Middle East.
Mia, 9, and Liam, 8 (taken at age 7), are from Abbotsford, BC, Canada. Their two left-behind parents are their mom, Shelley, and step-dad, Dean.
Shelley became aware of their disappearance on April 3, when the school called because the children were absent. The authorities confirmed that on March 24, Mia, Liam and Wissam crossed the border from Canada into Washington State, flew from Seattle to Paris, then onto Beirut, Lebanon.
Shelley and Dean have not had contact with their children at all. Lebanon is not a signatory of The Hague Convention, which means the Government of Lebanon is not required to co-operate with the return of the children to Canada, the children’s rightful habitual country. Global Affairs Canada is involved to an extent, and has advised the family to retain a lawyer in Lebanon to pursue the case in the Lebanese court system.
Over the years, Shelley and Dean have spent a large sum of money on legal fees to protect their children and to prevent this exact crime from being committed. Wissam repeatedly promised the courts that he would never abduct the children to Lebanon; he could never do that to Mia and Liam. Though Shelley vehemently opposed it, the Canadian court system permitted Wissam to obtain passports for the children, which assisted him to kidnap the children in March.
Mia and Liam’s return to Canada weighs upon Shelley and Dean’s ability to bring them home. There is a long, frustrating, emotional and expensive road ahead of them. Our hearts ache for Mia and Liam, knowing the trauma they have faced and that their sense of security has been shattered. They were not given any warning or opportunity to say good-bye to the only family, friends and home they knew here in Abbotsford. An entire community feels the impact of this crime and feels the loss of these children.
However, we will remain positive, proactive and will never give up on Mia and Liam. To that end, Shelley and Dean will need funds for lawyers and resources to find their children.
Please help Shelley and Dean in their fight to bring Mia and Liam home as soon as possible.