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17 years later, mother traces her son
By Barbara Powers-Syphus
Staff Writer
A picture of a smiling baby boy wearing a cowboy hat has occupied a spot in the wallet of San Clemente resident Rene Carter for almost half her life.
The photograph is of the son she gave up for adoption more than 17 years ago.
Today, after years of wondering, Carter knows her son is alive and residing in Florida where he attends a trade school. The information was obtained with the help of Pat Rutherford and his San Juan Capistrano-based Worldwide Tracers.
Carter, a gentle, attractive 36-year-old, is a full-time clothes presser, active in her church and has done volunteer work for local charities. She is a model citizen, but that wasn't always the case.
At the age of 17 Carter ran away from an alcoholic home in Huntington Beach. She ended up in the Bay area, a popular spot for young people in the 60s.
"It was the hippie era and I was a 'flower child' loving on the streets. I started seeing this biker from Oakland named 'Spike' and we hung out for a couple months - than I became pregnant," said Carter.
An older woman she remembers only as Mrs. Robertson befriended her during her pregnancy and offered her a place to live.
It was Robertson who took care of her until she gave birth to her son. Carter confesses to abusing drugs throughout her pregnancy and said it was a miracle she gave birth to a normal, healthy baby.
"I was so sick most of the time I just wanted to die," Carter recalled. She saw 'Spike' only once after the birth of the son she named Tyrone
DeVall. "He came over and we went out for a steak and lobster dinner. He was afraid of holding the baby. That was the last I saw him."
When Carter's son was about six months old, Robertson arranged for a private home. It was the best thing for the baby.
After several more years of "making the street scene" in Northern California, Carter finally returned to Orange County and had reconciliation with her family.
The reformed Carter moved to San Clemente six years ago. She is married and has two daughters, aged 12 and 14, but part of her never forgot her lost son. Carter began searching for her son about three years ago. However, her efforts were unsuccessful.
Last November she went to Worldwide Tracers for help.
Rutherford, who has been in the business of finding missing persons for more than nine years, was impressed with Carter's openness about her past and agreed to help her search for her lost son.
"Children have a right to know where their roots are," said Rutherford.
Rutherford said he is very careful when he accepts a new case and doesn't take one where "somebody might get hurt."
He uses telephone books from all over the country, microfiche records and under cover contacts to obtain the information he needs to locate missing people.
From his under cover contacts he can obtain bank records, credit reports and unlisted phone numbers. "Everything is for sale for a price," he said.
Rutherford said that in all adoptions the original birth records are sealed. However, Carter knew the name the adoptive parents had given her son so she was able to obtain a copy of his amended birth certificate.
"We really had everything we needed, but we couldn't hit it," said Rutherford.
The usual research methods, such as checking out California phone books and making inquiries to various state agencies, turned up nothing, he said.
What Rutherford didn't know at the time was that although the adoption took place in California, the adoptive parents had moved out of the state, making them more difficult to trace.
Mary Vargas, an investigator at Worldwide Tracers, saw Carter's file, which was being worked on by another employee, and a "feeling" that she could solve the case.
From the marriage records of the adoptive parents Vargas discovered the name of the bride's sister, who was her maid-of-honor. She sent for her marriage records, too.
These records led to a current address of the sister's in-laws, who have been living at the same East Coast address for more than 17 years.
The sister's in-laws turned out to be the link that eventually led to locating the adoptive parents in Florida.
When Rutherford contacted the parents he said they initially seemed very "threatened" and "scared."
"The mother in particular felt her place was going to be taken away."
"It's a very typical reaction," he said.
After several phone conversations with Carter, the adoptive parents relented and allowed Rutherford to talk to the son they called "Danny."
"The child might not even know he's adopted, so you have to be real careful," said Rutherford.
However, Danny knew he was adopted and was, as expected, very curious about his birth mother, he said.
Since the boy is still a minor, Rutherford won't give his address to Carter, but they can exchange letters and pictures through Worldwide Tracers until he turns 18 in a few months.
Carter said that after Rutherford told her about his phone conversation with Danny, she was really excited.
"I had to be pinched all day. I couldn't sleep . . . it was great," she said.
Although Carter hopes for a reunion with her son after he's of age, she is realistic about the future of their relationship and holds no illusions about establishing a traditional mother-child bond.
She said she just wants to locate only to close a chapter in her life and to fill a void that she always felt existed.
Carter said she has tremendous love for the people who raised her son: "They provided him with a home at a time I was unable to, and for that I will always be grateful."
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