Parents Reunited With Abducted Son 24 Years After His Disappearance

The parents of a boy abducted outside their Eastern China home in 1997 were finally reunited with their son on Sunday. 

Police in Liaocheng City had located the 26-year-old Guo Xinzhen in a neighboring province and organized a reunion for the family. Video shows Guo Gangtang and his wife, Zhang Wenge, as they tearfully embrace their newly found son. 

Guo Xinzhen was only a toddler when a woman and her boyfriend kidnapped him before being sold to a couple in Central China. The abduction and sale of children happen regularly in China; however, it is unknown exactly how often. 

Last month, police experts used facial feature comparison technology to track down Guo Xinzhen. They used DNA, which was not as readily available when he went missing, to confirm his identity. 

The couple accused of kidnapping Guo Xinzhen, identified only as Hi and Tang, were arrested. They confessed to kidnapping at least three other boys. They are facing a possible death sentence for their crimes once they go to trial.

The couple that Guo Xinzhen was sold to was not identified.

Guo Xinzhen’s father, Gup Gangtang, gained notoriety in the 2015 film Lost and Love, which focused on the man’s search for his son. After Guo Xinzhen went missing, the heartbroken father searched far and wide across China. He rode a motorbike 500,000 kilometers (310,685 miles) with little more than fliers and a flag with his son’s face on it. 

Although he was unsuccessful at locating his own son, he tracked down more than 100 abducted children.

Guo Xinzhen told reporters he will remain in Henan but plans to visit with his newfound biological parents regularly.

“He is a great father,” he said. “I am proud of him.”