Mao Yin was just an innocent 2-year-old boy when he was taken from the clutches of his family. On that fateful day, Yin’s father had picked him up from nursery school in Xian, and the two were walking back home when they stopped for a glass of water at a hotel.
As his father was cooling the hot water available, Yin was forcibly taken by a stranger. His parents looked everywhere for him, but they were unable to locate the child until 2020.
A Mother’s Unrelenting Efforts
The young boy’s mother resigned from her job to look for her son across the entire country. She combed through ten entire provinces before starting a volunteering group called “Baby come back home” in 2007.
This group helped other parents who were in the same situation as her. Since Yin’s mother could not reunite with her own child, she dedicated her life to helping other parents find their missing children. According to reports by the state media, this extraordinary woman was able to reunite 29 families.
The Police Receive the Tip-Off
It wasn’t until 2020 that the Chinese police received any leads regarding Yin’s kidnapping. They were given a tip that a kidnapped child had been brought from Shaanxi to the Sichuan province somewhere around the late 80s.
The police then set to work. They used facial recognition software to create an image of what the child would look like right now. As it turns out, the image that was drawn up happened to strike a match.
Technology Saves the Day
The police compared the simulated image with several photos in the Chinese national database. The image created was so accurate that there was a potential match that immediately turned around.
The records of this person were drawn up, and a DNA test was conducted to determine whether the man was related to the parents of the kidnapped child or not. May 10th was the joyous day on which the DNA results came back as positive.
Finally Reunited After 32 Years
May 10th is celebrated as Mother’s day in China, which seems to be a fitting end to this story. While there is no further information regarding Mr. Yin’s kidnapper, he and his family are delighted to be together again.
Mr. Yin’s mother released a statement thanking all of the people that helped her find her little boy after all of these years. Mr. Yin has also stated that he is looking forward to spending time with his parents.