In 1994, a custody dispute in South Carolina ended with a mother vanishing with her infant daughter. Dorothy Lee Barnett, accused of violating a court order, disappeared without a trace — along with 11-month-old Savannah.

For nearly two decades, the pair lived under new identities across the world — first in Europe, then South Africa, then Australia — as authorities searched for clues. In 2013, an international investigation finally uncovered the truth. Dorothy had been living as Alexandria Maria Canton, and Savannah, now a young woman, had grown up unaware of her past.

The case became one of the most remarkable parental abduction stories in modern history — a tale of love, fear, deception, and the long reach of justice.

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NBC Dateline: "Finding Savanna" 

CBS 48 Hours: "Dear Savanna" 

Web

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