Single mum ‘accused of trafficking her son’ because they ‘look different’ issues warning to millions of parents
AN “EMBARRASSED and traumatised” single mum has issued a warning to other parents after being “accused” of trafficking her four-year-old son.
Bridgetta Tomarchio was taking her son Lucian to visit his dad via plane on Saturday night but feared police were “going to take her son” following a misunderstanding.
“My heart was going crazy and I was shaking,” she recalls.
The author, 45, makes the journey on a monthly basis as she lives approximately 900 miles apart from her son’s dad.
But during her most recent trip, she alleges that the pilot raised questions about her trafficking little Lucian, who “passed out” in his stroller due to it being a late night flight.
Bridgetta was approached by police when hiring a car shortly after her plane landed.
read more on parenting
She claims the officers told her they “had reason to believe she was child trafficking” and “had done suspicious behaviour”.
She also alleges that they said: “We believe this child is not yours and that you are child trafficking.”
The evening flight was approximately one hour long from Florida to Kentucky, US, with little Lucian sleeping for the majority of it.
Bridgetta’s worst nightmares came true after checking her bags out and making her way to the car rental area of the airport.
In body-camera footage viewed by TODAY.com, an officer approaches her and asks: “We've just gotten a couple calls — is this your child?
“I don’t know what exactly is going on.
“I guess a pilot was concerned about potential trafficking.
“I don’t know if something was said or.”
Officers stepped down after Bridgetta showed copies of her son’s plane ticket and she suggested they log onto Instagram to watch a video about her birth story.
The furious mum took to Instagram afterwards to warn other parents about how this could happen to them.
She chalked the misunderstanding down to her looking different to her son and having a different surname to him.
“This is a message for all parents, that are single parents travelling, where your child might have a different last name than you or your child might not look like you,” she said.
“It was like, this whole, complete ordeal.
“I can’t even believe this.”
Bridgetta is now calling on the airline she flew with, Southwest Airlines, to “create a protocol for handling child trafficking suspicions”.
“By taking these actions, Southwest Airlines can demonstrate its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all passengers and children travelling,” she said.
“While also upholding principles of fairness and respect for diversity.
“I am not only advocating for myself but for all single parents who may face similar challenges due to differences in last names and physical appearances.”
An airline spokesperson told TODAY.com that no Southwest pilots were involved in the incident.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"After reviewing the situation, it appears the outreach to local authorities did not come from Southwest Airlines," a spokesperson said.
"We appreciate the customer’s patience as we reviewed the information, and our Customer Engagement Team has been in touch with the customer."
