German Parents Seek Putin’s Aid to Find Lost Son

[milmor_1]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/wo...gewanted=print

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DRESDEN, Germany, Oct. 7 (Reuters) — German parents whose infant son vanished under mysterious circumstances nearly 22 years ago, just before Vladimir V. Putin arrived at his posting as a K.G.B. officer here, hope Mr. Putin, now Russia’s president, can help find their son.

The infant, Felix Tschök, disappeared Dec. 28, 1984, after his parents left his stroller outside a department store in Dresden — a common practice in East Germany, then a Communist state in which street crime was virtually nonexistent.

His parents, Eberhard and Lenore Tschök, say he may have been kidnapped by the Soviets, and they hope to enlist Mr. Putin’s help on Tuesday when the Russian leader visits the city, where he was a Soviet spy from 1985 to 1990.

The disappearance of the baby set off one of the biggest police investigations in East German history, and it was a major story in the news media for months in 1985.

The East German police closed the unresolved case at the end of that year, but the Tschöks recently persuaded the authorities in Germany to re-open the investigation.

“We just want to know how our child is doing now,” Mrs. Tschök said. “We just want to know what happened to him.”

They hope Mr. Putin can help. During his visit, he will meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose office is aware of the case.

The Tschöks say they believe that the Soviets, who had a large military presence in Dresden, may have kidnapped their son, because only a few days after Felix disappeared, an abandoned baby boy was found in a box in Dresden.

The police traced the box to a Soviet company. The authorities said they believed that the boy, who reportedly responded to Russian language sounds, might have been abandoned in exchange for Felix.

Mr. Putin was a low level K.G.B. spy in Dresden from 1985 to 1990, but has not gone into detail about his work before entering politics.

[conlor]

It would give the parents peace of mind to know that their son is okay. I hope someone can find him.

[JudyLynne]

I hope after all these years the parents will be able to know what happened to their son and maybe a reunion can take place.