Miguel Morin: Texas Boy Kidnapped As Baby Reunited With Parents

Miguel Morin, the 8-year-old boy who was abducted by his babysitter when he was just 8-months-old, has been reunited with his family.

The young boy was rescued from babysitter Krystle Tanner in March but was placed in foster care instead of being given back to his family, reports Shine From Yahoo!.

But William Thursland, Morin’s court-appointed lawyer, announced on Wednesday that the boy has met his family during joint therapy sessions.

While it may be difficult to understand why Miguel was not placed back with his parents immediately, some cases have shown that it is beneficial to first place the child in a neutral environment (like foster care) while the relationship with their abductor and details of their condition are discovered.

For the 8-year-old boy who believed that Tanner was his real mother, the news that the Morins are his real parents would come as a big shock. Geoffrey Greif, PhD, of the University of Maryland School of Social Work, stated:

“Imagine that the person that is supposedly your mother is not … The therapist’s decision could be based in part on his attachment to the woman who pretended to be his mother for years.”

Miguel Morin has recently been told that the Morins are his biological parents. The Daily Mail notes that Estella Olguin, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services in Houston, has said that the goal in the case remains to reunite Miguel Morin with his parents. While it was strange to wait five months before allowing Morin’s parents to meet him, the long waiting period came at the recommendation of his therapist. Olguin stated:

“We wanted to do what was in the best interest of Miguel and make the transition smooth and less traumatic for him.”

Miguel is also expected to meet with his four siblings during therapy sessions in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, Krystle Tanner remains in jail on charges of kidnapping.