Mary Fritts kidnapped her 7-year-old daughter, Emily Fritts, from Staunton, Virginia, in August 1994 to avoid allowing her ex-husband visitation rights. The mother and daughter assumed new identities and moved frequently, living in Tennessee, Oregon, Kansas, Alaska, and Montana. Mary also homeschooled Emily. Emily’s father, Rodney Fritts, hired a private investigator and spent nearly half a million dollars searching for his daughter. After Rodney went on The Montel Williams Show in 2002, Mary made the decision to return Emily to her father and surrender herself to authorities in hopes of receiving reduced charges. Emily was 15 when she was reunited with her father. Mary was convicted of a misdemeanor and fined $250.
Date: April 15, 2002
Location: Tennessee, Oregon, Kansas, Alaska, and Montana
| Documents: | Date: |
| After 8 years on the run, girl reunited with father | 2002-05-08 |
| 8 years after fleeing, mother and daughter come home | 2002-05-09 |
| In an August night of 1994 | 2002-09-15 |
| Custody case mother is free, fined $250 | 2003-04-10 |
| Home-Schooling Freedoms Help Parents Who Abduct Children | 2004-11-18 |
