Abducted child found safe
A Cape Coral girl abducted from Oasis Elementary School Thursday by her step-father has been found “safe and sound.”
Eight-year-old-old Juliet Odierna was located by law enforcement in Alabama at 2 a.m. Friday, the Cape Coral Police Department reports. She was found with Theodore and Jennifer Moschovas, her step-father and her mother, who does not have custody of Juliet.
The Moschovas are in police custody; Juliet is being placed temporarily in foster care until her father arrives to retrieve her, the release from the CCPD states.
An Amber Alert for Juliet was issued Thursday after the CCPD notified of the on-campus abduction at 12:30 p.m.
According to the CCPD, Juliet’s father, Robert Odierna, has full custody of child, her mother has court-ordered supervised visitation only.
Theodore Moschovas, who police say is Jennifer’s new husband, showed up at Oasis Elementary and falsely identified himself as Robert Odierna, bringing lunch.
“Moschovas then left the school with Juliet,” a release from the CCPD states, adding Moschovas previously took Juliet and fled to Massachusetts.
The abduction was discovered when Robert Odierna showed up to pick up Juliet only to learn that she had already been picked up.
CCPD officials credit Juliet’s fast recovery to both its investigative personnel and inter-agency efforts
“I simply cannot overstate how extremely proud of I am of all of you. The work you displayed yesterday into the overnight was awesome,” said Captain Tony Sizemore of the CCPD Investigative Services Bureau in a statement to those who worked to locate Juliet quickly.
“I had the privilege of observing you all in action and I continue to be impressed. If the stakes weren’t so high, and real lives weren’t at stake…you would be far more entertaining to watch than any ‘tv cop show.’ But it is real life, and real victims being saved. Your composure, professionalism, teamwork and consistent results are something to behold.
“Take a moment to think about what you’ve accomplished. An 8-year-old child was abducted from a school and driven through three states and you were responsible for her safe rescue in roughly 12 hours.
“Thank you for ALL that you do. I’m humbled and honored to work alongside all of you.”
The CCPD also thanked all of the agencies involved in working to locate Juliet after the Amber Alert was issued.
“The Cape Coral Police Department would like to thank the multitude of law enforcement agencies across the southeastern United States that assisted in this case, but especially our partners at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement who had boots on the ground with us from the very beginning,” CCPD spokesperson Lieutenant Dana Coston said. “We would also like to take the time to recognize and thank the citizens for their amazing response. Tips began flooding in within minutes of the AMBER Alert and our news release being issued. Juliet’s story was shared on social media thousands of times, keeping her face, and those of her abductors, in the spotlight.”
Oasis Elementary is part of the city of Cape Coral’s municipal charter school system.
Jacquelin Collins, system Superintendent, issued a statement to parents Thursday. School personnel will adhere to existing policy that requires identification from all visitors and new procedures will be implemented, she said.
The statement reads:
“Dear Parents and Guardians,
“Due to the incident that occurred today, involving an elementary student who was escorted off campus by a non-custodial parent, the following additional security measures will be implemented immediately:
“Self service sign-in will not be available. All check in will be through the receptionist.
“In accordance with classroom building protocol for entry, any person, volunteer, or visitor will be asked for a driver’s license or a state ID to enter the administration building.
“Parents will no longer be allowed to eat lunch with their child.
“Birthday party treats can be dropped off in the front office and the teacher will distribute to class at a designated time.
“If you wish to discuss this further please contact the Superintendent’s office. Remember we are “Four Schools One Vision”.
Thank you for your patience and understanding!
“Sincerely,
“Jacquelin Collins
“Superintendent”