Irish woman and son still missing in the U.S.

Josephine Cuskelly, the Irish mother who disappeared from her home in Connecticut with her 11-month-old son in July, has lost legal custody of the child.

Cuskelly, 42, originally from County Offaly, became the focus of a national dragnet when she went missing on July 24 with her son Zarakseez.

The boy’s father, Raaz Omar, launched a legal action to gain sole custody of his son three days after Cuskelly fled with the boy.

On September 9, and after Cuskelly failed to appear at five separate court hearings, the court awarded it to him. However, neither Cuskelly nor the boy have been seen or heard from since.

Authorities believe that Cuskelly has not left the U.S. because neither Interpol, the international police agency nor the Irish government has found any record of her presenting to customs and immigration anywhere in the world.

Cuskelly’s sudden unexplained abduction and disappearance will have major legal consequences because if she does reappear before a U.S. court it’s understood that she will have a difficult time convincing authorities that she is fit to be allowed unrestricted access to her son.

Omar told the IrishCentral’s sister publication the Irish Voice on Monday that the strain of the experience is taking a toll on himself and his relatives. He is also concerned about the inaccurate media reports that have appeared recently.

“The media (in Ireland) reported this story last week as if I’d just been awarded custody of Zarakseez, but that actually happened on September 9. I haven’t heard a word from Josephine, and apparently her own family in Ireland doesn’t talk to her. They have an attorney now and they won’t talk to my private investigators in Ireland,” he said.

Zarakseez’s birthday is on Thursday, November 5 and Omar and his family are finding little comfort in the heartbreaking fact.

“Josephine was going through postpartum depression, she had stopped taking her meds, she had severe anxieties and mental disorders but even so, I did not file charges of kidnapping. I don’t want to toss her into jail,” Omar added.

Saying that he had tried every course of action he could think of without success, Omar says he may now be forced to pursue every legal means available to him. He has also been in touch with the Irish Consulate in New York.

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Nster.com