I was watching a 48 Hours episode this morning about children who were abducted by their parents. I was suprised at the end when they did a progress report on Charles & Christopher Smith and their mother! For those of you who need refreshed it was the UM segment where the dad and paternal grandparents (who lived in Texas and were wealthy I believe) abducted the two boys when they were both very young. The mother ended up suing the Smith family and was awarded millions of dollars. The boys were located I believe 7 years later and reunited with their mother. I was suprised and a little saddened to see the interview with the boys. They seemed quite bitter and angry. They said their dad told them their mother did bad things including drugs and didn't come off as though they had much emotional attachment to her even though at the time of this interview they were in their teens and had been back with her for 3 1/2 years. She wept in part of the interview and said when she was reunited with them she couldn't believe how big they were and said they treated her like an adult, not like their mother. Their father wasn't brought up in the interview at all. Although they seem to have settled into a life with their mother it was pretty obvious in the interview that the relationship between them has been changed forever. :(

I have that segment on tape & have watched many, many times.

Seems like the boys have been reunited with their mother for some time now. You would think that their relationship would be rekindled after being together for a long time. Also, the mother probably doesn't have to work and has a lot of time to spend with her boys. It is very puzzling.

Thank you for the update.

Crystaldawn, I think I actually saw that a few weeks ago, but I didn't realize that they were a UM case! Very sad...hopefully one day they will realize that their father basically brainwashed them and used them to punish their mother.

This segment should be on UM Favorites #10.

Although they seem to have settled into a life with their mother it was pretty obvious in the interview that the relationship between them has been changed forever. :(

And that's the biggest tragedy of all. The sadness didn't end when Carolynn was reunited with her two sons.

I never knew Carolyn Smith died in 2007. There are so many unanswered questions in this case: How did she die? what happened to Chick and Pat Smith? Did Carolyn get awarded the full amount she won at the custody hearing? How are the kids now and do they have a relationship with their father?

Was this the case where the custodial mother and her private detective followed the non-custodial father and the boys onto a plane, then were held back while the father and boys left and everyone else was let off the plane before they were? Strange indeed and indicative of some money changing hands.

Thats the case yes but not exactly what happened in the story.

On one of the news shows, either Dateline or 48 Hours, they did an episode on formerly-abducted children who were reunited with the searching parent, and the Smith boys were profiled. They were teenagers, living with their mother. I remember she said they were cordial to her, and seemed to just be biding their time until the youngest (who was about 14 at the time, IIRC) turned 18 and they could go back to Mexico and live with their dad.

It was very sad. She got them back physically, but never mentally, it seems.

Hello- My name is a Chris Smith. Yes, the Chris Smith listed in this story. I happened upon this article while having a conversation with my wife tonight and felt that I should at least comment to let everyone know that my brother and I are just fine and have now been blessed with families of our own. While this seemed like an interesting story to read about, I can tell you that it was just as interesting to live through it. I don't quite know where to start since there were several comments listed before this, but feel free to ask and I will be happy to answer all that I can.

Hello- My name is a Chris Smith. Yes, the Chris Smith listed in this story. I happened upon this article while having a conversation with my wife tonight and felt that I should at least comment to let everyone know that my brother and I are just fine and have now been blessed with families of our own. While this seemed like an interesting story to read about, I can tell you that it was just as interesting to live through it. I don't quite know where to start since there were several comments listed before this, but feel free to ask and I will be happy to answer all that I can.

Welcome to the forum!

If I may ask, were you and your brother able to reconcile with your mom?

Hello, DazzlerSparkler. Yes, both my brother and I finally settled in and felt like Texas was home and we enjoyed being back with our mom. It did take a while for that to happen, but we did grow to be much closer over time.

After Charles and I graduated from high school, we also had a chance to reconnect with our dad since he was out of jail by then, leading his life in the US. While we certainly didn't have a typical relationship with our parents by any stretch of the imagination, we were eventually lucky enough to spent time with each of them separately.

As you know from the thread posted a while back, my mom unfortunately passed away several years ago. As I got older, I did see just how much my mom was shorted on her time with us and I wish she were still here. I am lucky enough to have a family of my own now and it would have been great for her to be a part of my boys' lives.

Hello, DazzlerSparkler. Yes, both my brother and I finally settled in and felt like Texas was home and we enjoyed being back with our mom. It did take a while for that to happen, but we did grow to be much closer over time.

Hi, cjasonsmith -- welcome to the board! :wave:

Thanks for coming on here and sharing information about your story. It is always nice to hear from the real people involved. My condolences to you and your brother on your mom's passing. I'm sure she did not live an easy life. I'm just very happy to hear you and your family are doing well now. All the best to you, sir!

Hello- My name is a Chris Smith. Yes, the Chris Smith listed in this story. I happened upon this article while having a conversation with my wife tonight and felt that I should at least comment to let everyone know that my brother and I are just fine and have now been blessed with families of our own. While this seemed like an interesting story to read about, I can tell you that it was just as interesting to live through it. I don't quite know where to start since there were several comments listed before this, but feel free to ask and I will be happy to answer all that I can.

Thanks so much for commenting! It's always refreshing to hear from the actual folks involved in these cases. So often, we only got the information that was presented in a 15 minute segment and very rarely do we get the full story... we hope you stick around! :wave:

Thank you for posting, cjasonsmith! I'm so sorry to hear about your mom, and that happy that you and your brother reconciled with her.

As you know from the thread posted a while back, my mom unfortunately passed away several years ago. As I got older, I did see just how much my mom was shorted on her time with us and I wish she were still here. I am lucky enough to have a family of my own now and it would have been great for her to be a part of my boys' lives.

Hello and welcome.

This portion of your post really resonated with me. I lost my mother just this past November. Although she did live long enough to be part of my son's life, she passed right before his 2nd birthday. He likely won't have much memory of her as he gets older, and that's one of the more painful parts for me. I sympathize with you a lot.

I'm glad you stopped by to tell your side of the story, and I'm glad you were able to have a relationship with both of your parents.

Thank you very much for the warm wishes and condolences, Todd. Our mom unfortunately did not have it easy and I see that more and more as I get older now. I do certainly wish that she were still with us and able to enjoy calmer times with family. My brother and I are very fortunate in the fact that we had something this serious and abnormal happen, yet we live very satisfying and normal lives. I firmly stand in the fact that God always found a way to put the right people in our lives when we needed it most.

Hi, ASmitty- I am very sorry to hear about your mom and am sad to hear that your son was so young at her passing. As a parent, it's so difficult to be in situations that you know your parent would be at and would thoroughly enjoy, and yet isn't. I just hope that with constant conversation and pictures, your son will remember the bits that he does and thinks of her as you do. Best wishes

Glad to answer all that I can, LooksLikeCRicci!

Thank you very much, LGraves65!

Hi, Sdb4884- thank you very much for the questions. I unfortunately don't want to comment on how my mom passed or how my grandparents are since that is very personal to me, but I am happy to answer the one regarding my dad. Yes, my brother and I still have contact with our dad, and both side of the family as a whole. In regards to the money, that never came to be...only the lawyers made out healthily while others lost everything.

Thank you for dropping by, Christopher. Despite everything that has happened and the unfortunate loss of your mother, I'm very happy to hear that you and your brother are doing well now and even having families of your own.

I imagine it must be either surreal (or maybe painful?) to watch the UM segment of your story. Maybe you haven't seen it in 20 years, maybe you don't care to see it. Whatever problems your family members were having at the time and whatever you were being told as a child, it's very obvious from the segment that your mother loved you and your brother very much. It was probably one of the most emotional interviews I ever saw on this show.

I wish you and your brother nothing but happiness and hope you can now live as normal a life as possible after all the drama.

Hi, Sdb4884- thank you very much for the questions. I unfortunately don't want to comment on how my mom passed or how my grandparents are since that is very personal to me, but I am happy to answer the one regarding my dad. Yes, my brother and I still have contact with our dad, and both side of the family as a whole. In regards to the money, that never came to be...only the lawyers made out healthily while others lost everything.

Thanks for answering, I put them up as hypothetical questions I didn't think they'd ever be answered by a family member. Much appreciated.

This case is very memorable for police officer who put on a fake Scottish accent. The innkeeper though did seem like he had a real Irish accent.

I am the step father of Chris and Charles Smith. They shared in my household from their return from Mexico in 1991 until they grew up and moved on with their adult lives.
I came upon this message board while investigating another unsolved cold case in Houston.

Both boys were greatly challenged in the transitions that they experienced and both have developed into fine young men. Both have families of their own and are successful at it. They are both a joy to me and I was blessed with their and their mothers presence. (We were together for 25 years until her untimely passing.) Their mother loved them both dearly..

I am the step father of Chris and Charles Smith. They shared in my household from their return from Mexico in 1991 until they grew up and moved on with their adult lives.
I came upon this message board while investigating another unsolved cold case in Houston.

Both boys were greatly challenged in the transitions that they experienced and both have developed into fine young men. Both have families of their own and are successful at it. They are both a joy to me and I was blessed with their and their mothers presence. (We were together for 25 years until her untimely passing.) Their mother loved them both dearly..

Thanks so much for posting! I'm so glad to hear the boys (now men) are happy and successful. I'm sorry to hear of their mother's passing.

I am the step father of Chris and Charles Smith. They shared in my household from their return from Mexico in 1991 until they grew up and moved on with their adult lives.
I came upon this message board while investigating another unsolved cold case in Houston.

Both boys were greatly challenged in the transitions that they experienced and both have developed into fine young men. Both have families of their own and are successful at it. They are both a joy to me and I was blessed with their and their mothers presence. (We were together for 25 years until her untimely passing.) Their mother loved them both dearly..

Thanks for posting, I'm glad to hear that the two boys lives have turned out well after their difficult childhood and my condolences for your wife's passing. I'm amazed at the feedback we've received on this thread alone.

Sad update, y'all: Charles William Smith, III (the eldest of the two boys) recently passed away.

https://www.brewerfuneral.com/obituaries/Charles-Smith-III?obId=22234983

I am very saddened to learn of Charles' passing. We became friends shortly after he moved back to Texas. I was 1 year ahead of him and we lived a few blocks away. We went to Kempner High School and were in Scout Troop 615 at the local fire station. I have many fond memories doing Scouts together, where some of us recognized him as the kid on Unsolved Mysteries. We also worked a summer job at Kroger and I occasionally hung out at his house to play Nintendo. Both his mother & stepfather always treated me well.

I never thought much about the details of his story when I was a teen because I thought Charles was a completely normal '90s teenager- and a good kid with a good sense of humor. I never got to know Chris very well because of the age difference at the time, but I could tell he was also good kid who usually had a smile on his face.

Please accept my condolences.