Birth Certificate and Private Investigator Help Reunite Missing 6-year Old With Mother

A happy reunion happened for a 6-year old when he was reunited with his mother after his father was discovered hiding out with the boy in a resort in Mexico after being on the run for the past 18 months. The father, Daniel O'Neal is currently in Miami and awaiting extradiction to Georgia to face charges and flight to avoid prosecution.

The boy's mother and stepmother formed a united front to find the missing 6-year old after the mother was reportedly told by an FBI agent that "it was not a priority for him — that he had other things to deal with." The two women eventually found Jake Schmidt, a private detective from Beverly Hills, California who agreed to take the case for no charge. Gibson, who contacted Georgia's elected representatives for help, credited a call made by an aide to Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss for prodding the FBI to move in on O'Neal in Mexico.

In a phone interview, Schmidt states he takes a few cases of missing children for free each year; "These cases become an annoyance to federal authorities," the private detective stated.

The FBI had the case for 8 months but was treating it as solely a flight to avoid prosecution case as the child was the biological son of O'Neal and even though O'Neal was wanted for the sexual assault of another child, his son was not thought to be in danger from O'Neal.

The private detective followed leads to a Mexican cellphone number, which turned out to be O'Neal's. Going to Cancun, he found the father and son at the Mayan Resorts and asked the FBI to arrange extradition. Schmidt said he left Mexico after the Atlanta FBI agent overseeing the case advised that the legal action would take "up to a year."

In fact, FBI officials went to Cancun and took action after receiving the tip from the private investigator, Jones said. When the agents discovered O'Neal was using a fake birth certificate and claiming to be Mexican, they produced a faxed copy of his U.S. birth certificate, he said. O'Neal then admitted his real identity, making it easy for Mexican authorities to promptly deport him.

The Importance of Birth Certificates

Birth certificates contain not just valuable information but more than likely the most valuable information you have. It includes your personally identifying data as well as information about the biological mother, as well as the father's information, if available. The date and time of your birth, where you were born and your weight are also included. If it was a multiple birth it also includes each child's birth order. There are also other biological facts that may be listed such as race or ethnicity.

Most hospitals issue what are called souvenir birth certificates, which normally include the newborns footprints. However, these are not legally accepted as proof of citizenship or age and most often will be rejected when using it to apply for a passport or most any other legal documentation. Even if this type of document is not acceptable there is usually information somewhere on or with the document that states how you may be able to acquire a more legally recognized copy. It can be frustrating when you think you have all necessary paperwork only to find that something different is needed. So, be sure to double check what the requirements are before leaving so that you will not have any delays or problems.

Normally copies of birth certificates are only available to the person or persons that are named on the document, which may be the child and parents. Parents need this type of document to obtain benefits as well, tax credits, proof of a minor child, etc. Make sure to keep the birth certificate in a safe place, as it will be used in many different situations.

Will the Pregnant Man be the Mother or the Father on the Baby's Birth Certificate?

Many people will be celebrating Father's Day tomorrow, however one special dad-to-be will be entering his final weeks of pregnancy. Yes, I'm talking about Thomas Beatie who, for all intents and purposes is known as "The Pregnant Man".

In short, Beatie was born a woman and made the choice to undergo sexual reassignment surgery and chose to retain his reproductive organs. He fell in love and married a lovely lady who was unable to bear children. Thomas underwent artificial insemination and has been enduring the media frenzy as his pregnancy as progressed.

A question many people have started to have has been answered at Slate.com as to whether Beatie will be listed as the mother or the father on his child's birth certificate. In short, he'll be both at different times. When the baby is born, he will be listed as the mother. However

As soon as the initial paperwork is squared away at the hospital, Beatie and his wife are free to petition for a court order to have a new birth certificate issued, this time listing Beatie as the father and his wife as the mother.

Source: http://www.slate.com/id/2193475/

Residents on Border Getting Used to New Travel Requirements

Have you been to Canada lately? If you have, you probably noticed that there are new rules in effect for re-entering the United States.

In the past, you simply had to show a drivers license and off to your home you went, however effective in January, border crossing travelers have to show proof of citizenship with their birth certificate or other form of approved identification.

Many people don't like carrying a birth certificate and this makes getting another certified copy of your birth certificate to travel with a good idea. As if you only have one copy (most likely your original) and it gets lost or destroyed (the latter could be especially true if you have young children, that ONE second you're not watching......).

While there are many complaints, most people are accepting and adapting to the change according to Linda Loveless, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Port Director. "The real change will come in June 2009 when just a birth certificate won't be enough and all border crossings will need a passport".

According to stats, the amount of passports issued has more than tripled with more and more people getting their passports "just in case" they want to travel and then they can have one handy.