Video Shows Emotional Moment Father Reunites With Son After He Was Abducted 24 Years Ago

A father in China spent 24 years looking for his son who was abducted outside their home, searching the country and driving 310,000 miles on motorbike.

A man from China and his son reunited after the son was abducted 24 years ago, the BBC reports. The emotional moment was captured on video.

Guo Gangtang’s son was taken outside his home in the Shandong province by two suspects in 1997, per the report. The now-51-year-old father spent those two-plus decades looking for his son on motorbikes across the country, searching 20 provinces and ultimately traveling 310,000 miles.

He tirelessly searched the country using tips, a search that led to broken bones from traffic accidents, encounters with highway robbers, and more challenges. His search ultimately cost him his life savings, forcing him to beg for money to continue.

Gangtang often had banners displaying his son’s face, and became a notable member of missing-persons organizations in his country, which has a huge abduction and trafficking problem. Before finding his own son, he helped seven children find their way back to their parents.

Police were ultimately able to find Guo’s son using DNA testing, according to China’s Ministry of Public Security.

The suspects—a woman named Tang and a man named Hu—were dating then they decided to kidnap a child to sell. Guo’s son presented the perfect opportunity, since he was playing alone outside the house. After they snatched the then-2-year-old, Tang took him to the bus station where Hu was waiting for her. They then sold the child in the Henan province, where he was still living when Guo found him. The two suspects have also been arrested.

Guo and his wife reunited with their son in Liaocheng, Shandong, on Sunday. “Now that the child has been found, everything can only be happy from now on,” the father said.

The 2015 movie Lost and Love is based on Guo’s story and stars Hong Kong actor Andy Lau. When Lau heard that Guo found his son, he celebrated the moment. “I’d like to say to Brother Guo that I admire your persistence,” Lau said in a statement.

Watch the video of their emotional reunion above.

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