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Help Bring 9 yr old Karla HOME!

On Sunday, August 12, 2018, nine year old Karla was taken from Oakland, California and brought to Mexico by her biological mother, Jacqueline. This occurred during a court ordered visit with her maternal grandparents. That Sunday, shortly before Allison was supposed to pick up Karla, she received and email from Jacqueline stating she took Karla and had returned to Mexico.

 Karla’s childhood has been complicated in that her biological parents have not lived in the United States for 8 years of her 9 year old life. At the age of two, when Karla was living with her paternal grandmother, she met Allison. Allison began watching Karla for days at a time, quickly becoming her best friend and then mother figure.  Overtime Allison's role in Karla's life continued to grow and when Karla began calling Allison "mommy" it just seemed like a natural progression of a child being given love and attention. 

 Later on in 2016, Jacqueline brought Karla to live with her in Mexico.  Karla had a difficult time adjusting and wanted to come home. After 3 months, Jacqueline sent Karla back to the US to live with Allison full time. At this time, Allison decided to petition for guardianship so that moving forward, she had the legal standing to make decisions about what was best for Karla.

In October of 2017, Allison received full guardianship, partly because Karla stood in front of the Superior Court of California and her grandparents stating that she wanted to remain living with Allison. This has not been an easy road for Karla, however prior to Karla’s abduction, she was living a happy and stable life. She had weekend visits with her grandparents, attended summer camp at the Downtown Oakland YMCA, played softball on the Oakland Girls Softball League, and was excited about starting 4th grade. She enjoys swimming, dancing and riding her bike. She has a dedicated and loving extended family and a deep rooted network of friends. She has excelled in school and extracurricular activities. She is curious, conscientious, loving, and kind. There is no doubt that her forceful removal from the only country, family, and community she knows has caused intense trauma for her.

Karla deserves to have her voice heard in regards to who she lives with, and where she feels safe. Although this type of bond may be unique, and hard to conceptualize, it’s real. A 9 year old little girl has been pulled away from the woman she calls mom. The person who takes her to school everyday and tucks her in at night.

 Karla is an American citizen, and is not a citizen of Mexico, she urgently needs to be returned from Mexico to the safety of her home and family in the United States. 

 Allison is not going to give up and will do whatever it takes to make sure Karla, her daughter is found and safely brought home.

We need your help. Allison will utilize whatever resources necessary to locate Karla and bring her home. This requires financial support to cover legal fees and services in both the United States and Mexico. This includes the US Government, local law enforcement, private legal council, and alternative methods.

Questions can be directed to [email redacted]. There will be full transparency with how these funds will be allocated. Our efforts will continue until Karla is safe and brought home.

PLEASE HELP!! Your love and support is appreciated.
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Donations 

  • Dorothy Fung
    • $300 
    • 5 yrs
Donate

Organizer and beneficiary

Jennifer Morrison
Organizer
Hayward, CA
Allison Downs
Beneficiary

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