The tiktok Fugitive Part 1

Summary

What I Survived – “The TikTok Fugitive Part 1” (March 31, 2026)
Host: Jack Laurence

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Episode Overview

In this gripping episode of What I Survived (originally released as “Wanted”), host Jack Laurence dives into the extraordinary story of Chad Hauer—a former Microsoft employee who became an international fugitive, allegedly wanted by the FBI and Interpol for kidnapping his own son. The narrative threads Chad’s unusual upbringing, his early computer genius, complex family dynamics, harsh custody battles, and the events that thrust him into life on the run. Through first-hand interviews and reflective narration, listeners are invited to question what survival means when the “enemy” chasing you is the world’s most powerful agencies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The TikTok Notification: How the Story Begins

• Jack shares (02:43–05:58) how he was tagged in a TikTok video featuring a wanted poster for Chad—“the TikTok Fugitive”—claiming FBI and Interpol are after him.
• Intrigued, Jack begins a deep dive into Chad’s story, leading to direct communication on a discrete app.
  • “All right, let's click on one of these videos. What do you got? ‘FBI Fugitive found on Caribbean Beach.’” (05:12, Jack Laurence)

2. Chad Hauer’s Unconventional Childhood and Computer Talent

• Chad describes being introduced to programming around age 10 in Pennsylvania (09:58).
  • “Our school had one computer, and only I was put into the gifted program...I got in front of it in 1980 and I loved it. And it was just, ‘hello, world.’” (09:58, Chad Hauer)
• His mother was blind—Chad becomes integrated into college life through working with disabled students (11:17–13:03).
  • “So I would sit in on these students’ classes and I would take their notes and I would take their tests... I just started sitting in on any class I wanted. Chemistry, comp sci, whatever interested me.” (11:43, Chad Hauer)
• Recent autism diagnosis offers insight into his lifelong social detachment and academic ease (13:13).

3. Atypical Teenage Years and Family Upheaval

• Chad lives independently from age 17 after his parents’ split, working nights and barely finishing high school (14:01–14:32).
• Isolation and an unstable home reinforce his self-sufficiency, culminating in an early marriage.

4. Early Marriage and Red Flags

• Marries “Nancy” (called “Vecna,” a Stranger Things reference) at 19; the relationship is platonic with early warning signs (15:21–16:51).
  • “We didn't have much money at the time...I bought this trip to the Bahamas. I'm like, well, let's go. She's like, I don't want to go to the Bahamas. Take your best man if you want. I'm like, okay. So we did.” (16:23, Chad Hauer)
• Their son is born in June 1996, marking the beginning of escalating marital tensions.

5. The Start of the Custody Battle

• Nancy (Vecna) becomes extremely possessive of their child (22:10–23:16).
  • “She was, how dare you take my child? And this was when I realized stuff was not right with her.” (22:35, Chad Hauer)
• Chad moves out in early 2001, aiming for an amicable arrangement: “Just take care of the kid and let me see him. That was all I really wanted, right? Yep, yep. That failed almost right away.” (23:47, Chad Hauer)

6. Going International—and Parental Alienation

• Chad takes a job in Europe; visitation becomes fraught, with Nancy restricting communication and access (24:33–25:53).
• Mediation fails:
  • “I'm gonna do something that I've never, ever done in my career before. She says, your soon to be ex-wife is the most intransigent person I have ever met in my entire career.” (25:31, Mediator relayed by Chad)

7. The Move and Legal Warfare

• In 2004, Chad’s son innocently tells him, “We’re moving”—prompting panic and suspicion (26:13–26:33).

• Nancy relocates without providing details, violating court procedure. Chad files for an injunction, but she evades the system and effectively disappears with their child (27:49–28:45).

  • “She doesn't show up to the court date. Not only does she not show up, she moves on the court date and does not tell me where she's moving to at all.” (28:41, Chad Hauer)

8. Table Turned: The Hunted Becomes the Hunter

• Ironically, before being hunted, Chad becomes a “hunter” himself, searching for his vanished son using maps and internet sleuthing (29:35–29:46).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On becoming wanted:
  • “You never know. In my case, you never know. It could be the FBI. They saw me on TikTok. They want to fuck with me. Because the shit they've done to me…” (08:49, Chad Hauer)
• On early diagnosis:
  • “Plus I'm autistic, which I didn't know until last year...That explains a lot of my life, but I just thought it was normal.” (13:13, Chad Hauer)
• Marriage breakdown:
  • “We were friends...It was a platonic relationship. I think she just wanted kids. And I was in my stage of life...So we got married early. And that's kind of what it was.” (16:51, Chad Hauer)
• Custody frustration:
  • “She just kept this crap up.” (25:53, Chad Hauer)
• On being denied contact:
  • “I would call and they would either never be there, or she wouldn't let me talk to him, or she'd pick up like, he's busy, he's eating, he's with friends, and he was just never there for me to talk on the phone.” (24:51, Chad Hauer)
• The disappearing act:
  • “All I know is they're moving and I don't know about it.” (27:23, Chad Hauer)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:43 – Jack introduces the background and origins of the case
• 05:12 – First exposure to the “TikTok Fugitive” story
• 09:58 – Chad describes his earliest computer programming experiences
• 11:43 – Working with blind and disabled college students
• 13:13 – Recent discovery of being on the autism spectrum
• 15:21 – Story of meeting and marrying Nancy (“Vecna”)
• 16:23 – The honeymoon-that-wasn’t
• 19:00 – Entry into tech industry, rise in computer software
• 22:10 – Early signals of Nancy's possessive behavior
• 23:47 – Chad leaves the marriage
• 24:33 – Overseas move and deterioration of visitation rights
• 25:31 – Mediator’s unprecedented declaration about Nancy’s opposition
• 26:13 – Son’s revelation about moving
• 27:49 – Chad details the legal obligations for moving out of state
• 28:41 – Nancy disappears with their son, defying court order
• 29:35 – Chad begins the search, turning from the hunted to the hunter

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Overall Tone and Style

Jack Laurence’s narration is direct, empathetic, and investigative. Chad’s manner is earnest, often self-deprecating, and tinged with frustration—especially when recounting years of powerlessness against a system and a person determined to keep him away from his son. The episode is gripping, blending suspense, emotional candor, and a complex web of legal and personal drama.

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Conclusion / Coming Next

The episode ends with Chad frantically hunting for any clue about his son's whereabouts, foreshadowing greater conflict to come as the hunted becomes the hunter—and setting up Part 2.

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For listeners:
This episode is immersive and fast-paced, balancing emotional interviews with clear exposition, perfect for those drawn to stories of survival against overwhelming odds—especially those not always clear-cut or heroic.

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Transcript

[Jack Lawrence]

Hello Legends. Before we get into the episode, just a quick heads up if you have completed season one of what I Survived. Firstly, thank you for the incredible support for the show and all the lovely comments. I truly appreciate it. I'm madly working on season two which will be out for you very soon. In the meantime though, I have just dropped listed as season two in what I Survived, a previous show that I created a couple of years ago called Wanted. The entire show is there for you to binge while you wait for season two of what I Survived.

[Chad Hauer]

Leadership used to mean having all the answers, but today's best leaders embody a more human approach. I'm Jack Myers. And I'm Tim Spangler. Tim and I have spent our careers inside media, marketing and culture and we partnered with the Acast Creator Network to start Lead Human to answer one simple question. What does it really look like to lead in this AI dominated world? The biggest tip for being a creator? It's a job. What I learned from Michael Jackson Here's a man who understands precision. It's about answering the questions that are hard, not about answering a bunch of teed up questions that are fake. What we're looking for are real stories and practical advice that you can use with your teams right away. Subscribe to Lead Human with Jack Myers and Tim Spengler wherever you get your podcasts.

[Edward Jones Narrator]

A rich life isn't a straight line to a destination on the horizon. Sometimes it takes an unexpected turn with detours, new possibilities, and even another passenger or three. And with 100 years of navigating ups and downs, you can count on Edward Jones to help guide you through it all. Because life is a winding path made rich by the people you walk it with. Let's find your rich together. Edward Jones Member, SIPC

[Acast Announcer]

ACAST powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.

[Paige Desorbo or Hannah Berner]

Hey guys. Welcome to Giggly Squad, a place where we make fun of everything but most importantly ourselves. I'm Paige Desorbo. I'm Hannah Berner. Welcome to the Squad. Giggly Squad started on Summer House when we were giggling during an inappropriate time. But of course we can't be managed. So we decided to start this podcast to continue giggling. We will make fun of pop culture news. We're watching Fashion Trends Pep talks where we give advice, mental health moments and games and guests. Listen to Giggly Squad on ACAST or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Acast Announcer]

ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.

[Jack Lawrence]

Hello Legends. Jack Lawrence here I am the host and creator of the show, what I Survived. Firstly, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone for all your support of the brand new series. It has been truly overwhelming to see how well it's been received, all the lovely comments in regards to it, and I am working hard on season two for you. There are some incredible stories coming your way. But in the meantime, for those of you who are new to my work, I wanted to introduce you to another series I created a couple of years ago called Wanted. Wanted tells the stories of men and women who currently are or who have been wanted by authorities. Men and women who were hunted across continents, some of them surviving, others being caught and are still behind bars. Today, it's a different kind of survival story, one about living on the run. For those of you who've been following my work for a while, you may have already heard this series. So thank you to you for your patience while I prepare the next season of what I Survived for everybody else. Welcome to Wanted.

[Chad Hauer]

Moon in the sky.

[Paige Desorbo or Hannah Berner]

I'm looking at the moon in the sky. This shouldn't come as a surprise, but I can.

[Jack Lawrence]

Okay, so I've just quickly clicked on the microphone here in the studio, just in here working on on the show and I got tagged in something on Tick Tock. Now this does happen from time to time. Straight away, thought I need to hit record on this because the profile on this TikTok page is a wanted poster. This is wanted by the FBI, the TikTok fugitive. In mid-2022, I set out to start my own true crime podcast called One Minute Remaining. It's a show where I speak with men and women who are incarcerated in the United States. This show allows these men and women to tell their stories and just how they ended up staring down the barrel of a life locked away inside a state facility. Part of having a show like this means that I get contacted on a regular basis about other stories people think need attention brought to them. One day while I was working in my office on the show, I got a notification via TikTok. Someone had tagged me in a video, a video of a man claiming to be wanted by the FBI and Interpol. All right, let's. Let's click on one of these videos. What do you got? FBI Fugitive found on Caribbean Beach.

[Chad Hauer]

Why am I wanted for kidnapping? But I didn't do it. I wasn't even in the country at the time. And multiple extraditions from multiple countries have failed.

[Jack Lawrence]

I'd spend the next few days and weeks going down a long rabbit hole of videos, news stories and articles about this man who had apparently kidnapped his son and taken him overseas. And the FBI and Interpol were after him.

[Chad Hauer]

Well, it's a custody battle that didn't go too well. A 25 year old who's still in the missing person database is trying his

[Jack Lawrence]

best to clear his name and his father's name.

[Chad Hauer]

I had to order two police officers to physically remove me from my mother and put me on a plane back to my dad. And that's where the whole kidnapping thing began.

[Jack Lawrence]

As fascinating as the story was, I certainly had my reservations about what exactly I could be getting myself into. Okay, so I just got a message saying that I need to download a specific app to talk to this guy. Hold on. I don't know if I should say what the app is. I don't know. What am I doing? Should I be doing this? This seems like it might be a bit much. Am I gonna get my phones tapped? Eventually word came through that he was ready to chat. Okay, so it's very early in the morning. Just got word that seems we are go for a chat this morning. It is very early in the morning. This will be interesting. No going back now. Maybe I should have got myself a VPN before I did this.

[Chad Hauer]

Where do you want to start? I mean, kind of get me going from some point.

[Jack Lawrence]

Well, I mean, I want to start at the beginning.

[Chad Hauer]

Okay.

[Jack Lawrence]

My name's Jack Lawrence. Welcome to Wanted.

[Acast Announcer]

I'm a wanderer of the soul before the end I plan to behold But I know I lose myself along the way Way what's gone is gone what's past is past Let me leave what belong.

[Jack Lawrence]

Now when you think of the FBI's most wanted list, you think of hardened criminals. Drug lords like Pablo Escobar. At the height of his cartel business, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was smuggling a reported 15 tons of cocaine a day into the United States. Serial killers like Ted Bundy, Theodore Robert

[Chad Hauer]

Bundy, you are charged.

[Jack Lawrence]

Indictment, two counts burglary, two counts murder

[Chad Hauer]

in the first degree. Three counts attempted murder in the first degree. My chance to talk to the press.

[Jack Lawrence]

I'll plead not guilty right now. And of course, the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden.

[Chad Hauer]

Tonight I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda.

[Jack Lawrence]

When I think of the FBI and Interpol's most wanted list, I certainly don't think of a 48 year old former high level Microsoft employee.

[Chad Hauer]

But the thing Is, you never know. In my case, you never know. It could be the FBI. They saw me on TikTok. They want to fuck with me. Because the shit they've done to me. I mean, the shit. They bribed a police officer in Bulgaria after my extradition was denied. I mean, the shit they've done to me. I wouldn't put it past him.

[Jack Lawrence]

The story of Chad Hauer is one that sounds like it's been ripped straight off the pages of a Hollywood script. International travel, Bulgarian prisons, kidnap attempts, the FBI and Interpol. But this isn't a movie. This is a real life nightmare for a man who's on borrowed time.

[Chad Hauer]

My medical condition, I get worn out about. I get worn out a little bit. I just.

[Jack Lawrence]

That's right. So what we can do as well is like, we don't have to do this all in one sit. To understand how Chad got to be a wanted man, we first need to start at the very beginning.

[Chad Hauer]

Our school had one computer, and only I was put into the gifted program. The office didn't have a computer. Nobody had a computer. But they had one program for the gifted program, one computer. And I got in front of it in 1980, and I loved it. And it was just, hello, world.

[Jack Lawrence]

Chad grew up in a college town in Pennsylvania. And with a mother and father who both attended the local university, it meant that Chad had access to an impressive library. But unlike most 10 year olds, Chad wasn't hunting down the latest fiction novels or comic books. No, Chad was fixated on the language of computers.

[Chad Hauer]

And they had the biggest library for 120 miles. It was huge. It's like seven floors. Yeah. And so from age 10, I started reading computer science textbooks. And then so what happened is there was a college student that lived across the street from me. He actually graduated and he kind of took me in and mentored me. I mean, he's really the key to all this. And he didn't give a crap that I was 10. And he just. I used to sit all summer long. I'd go over to his house and just sit and watch him program. And he taught me everything. And I got to know the students. And they typically were computer science students too. Not always, but some of them weren't. And they started learning that I knew more than they did. And these were college students. So they would be like, well, you know, can you help me with my project? And I'm like, sure. So they'd give me their mainframe passwords. And so I was on the college mainframe. That's how I got in the college mainframe in 1986. I was 12.

[Jack Lawrence]

Chad starts quickly making a name for himself around campus, starting to make a little extra money to help students with their coursework. With access to the university's inner workings, he's continuing to build his knowledge of computers until one day the state of Pennsylvania decides to make this university handicapped accessible. Which gave Chad a very unique opportunity to now get inside the classroom.

[Chad Hauer]

My mom was blind, and so I knew how to work with blind people too. Really, really well. The state of Pennsylvania, the federal government, I don't know who did it, but they decided that this university, which was a big university, it's still there. They decided this one university was going to become handicap accessible. So they put in wheelchair ramps, electric doors, everything, everywhere. And all of a sudden now the town is flooded with paraplegics and wheelchair users and every kind of handicap you can think of. That meant a lot of blind people came too. And since my mom was blind, I knew how to deal with blind people. She had blind friends I was already doing work for. Because the state back then, they needed somebody to read the books to them. There wasn't the Internet now, so they had the textbooks, but they couldn't read them and they weren't available in braille, so they needed somebody to read them to them. And the state didn't care how old you were. They didn't care about Social Security or taxes back then. So I just sent them my name. And then the students would sign off on how many hours I read their books and the state would send me a check. So I would sit in on these students classes and I would take their notes and I would take their tests. So they would sit in the class and when there's a test, they would tell me what to write. So we would sit in the back and the teacher would the test and I would read the test to the student and they would give me the answer and I'd write out their tests. And the professors got used to me as well. So I just started sitting on any class I wanted. Chemistry, comp, sci, whatever interested me, I just started sitting in on and nobody asked me any questions because they just thought I was there helping the blind student. And they're like, they didn't seem to notice. They didn't have any blind students. They didn't seem to care. Right.

[Jack Lawrence]

It's fair to say Chad certainly grew up different to other kids his age. And it was in fact only a couple of years ago that he got a diagnosis which he says explains A

[Chad Hauer]

lot I don't know. For me it's just normal. That's how I grew up. And you know, the college was my playground and I just. Plus I'm autistic, which I didn't know until last year.

[Jack Lawrence]

You didn't know until last year?

[Chad Hauer]

20, 22 or 22, I forget. But it's in the last year or so I learned I was autistic. I didn't know. And so that explains a lot of my life, but I just thought it was normal. School was always just embarrassingly easy for me. I mean I used to sleep through a lot of my classes because I was staying up night at programming. Yeah, I would stay up all night programming and I get to school and sleep during my class and the teachers would joke because they'd like, they wake me up and they'd ask me a question. I still knew the damn answer because, you know, it was just so jokingly easy for me.

[Jack Lawrence]

He'd spend more and more time out of the house trying to further his education. One day found himself uprooting his entire Life at just 17 to move away from the family home.

[Chad Hauer]

I was living on my own at 17. I went to this good school until like 3 months before I graduated. And then my parents had been fighting and they finally. I'm not going to get into this, but they finally split for good. And so I ended up living 300 miles away from where I grew up. On my own at 17, still trying to finish high school, working at night with two other dudes that are in their 20s.

[Jack Lawrence]

Just quickly, are your parents okay with you being that far away and living with, you know, 20 year old.

[Chad Hauer]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. In high school I moved in my grandmother. So I moved out of my parents house when I was 13. I moved to my grandmother. Anyways.

[Jack Lawrence]

Okay.

[Chad Hauer]

Even when I was living, my parents, they bought this Airstream trailer and I moved into it. It was in the driveway. So I was living in an Airstream trailer outside anyways, even when I was a young teenager.

[Jack Lawrence]

Yeah, right. Okay. So you would, it seems like you were just thinking for any way to sort of escape that household and just, you know, do your own thing.

[Chad Hauer]

My dad is an intellectual. I traveled a lot with him. But when he, when he lost his. He lost his.

[Jack Lawrence]

Yeah, right.

[Chad Hauer]

In a very violent way. So yeah.

[Jack Lawrence]

So even prior to becoming a wanted man, Chad's life was already a little different. Accomplishing many things early in life, Chad would also become a married man at a young age.

[Chad Hauer]

Long story short, there was this girl I knew from school who was a friend of mine who liked me, but I only wanted to be friends with. But she ended up going to a technical school who was friends with this other girl. And I met up with her and I was after her, and that didn't work out because she had a boyfriend, but they had this other girl who hung around, around their group, and that was Vecna, who I ended up getting married to. Yeah, I call her Vecna. Her real name is Nancy, but I call her Vecna from Stranger Things. Have you seen Stranger Things?

[Jack Lawrence]

I have seen stranger things, absolutely.

[Chad Hauer]

Okay, so you know Vecna. Anyways, I call her Vecna.

[Jack Lawrence]

Okay. So throughout this story, you will hear the names Nancy and Vecna. Just so you know, they are the same person. So Chad and Nancy started dating and were very soon married at just 19. It would appear, though, from the beginning, there may have been some warning signs that the marriage was not all that harmonious when Chad's new wife, Nancy, announces that she doesn't, in fact, wish to go on the honeymoon that Chad has booked. So instead.

[Chad Hauer]

So I went with my best man. I'm not joking.

[Jack Lawrence]

I'm sorry, what?

[Chad Hauer]

Yeah, we didn't have much money at the time because we were. So I bought this trip to the Bahamas. I'm like, well, let's go. She's like, I don't want to go to the Bahamas. She's like, take your best man if you want. I'm like, okay. So we did. So Florida and went to the Bahamas and went to Disney World. I should have known back then something was wrong.

[Jack Lawrence]

Yeah, I was going to say that sounds like it started at a very rocky stage. If your wife doesn't want to come on a honeymoon, she sends you with your best friend. This is. This isn't a good start.

[Chad Hauer]

Vecna and I, we were friends. We hiked together, we got along. Yeah, we didn't hate each other. It was. It was a platonic relationship. I think she just wanted kids. And I was in my stage of life. Like, I wasn't doing well with women. I was like, well, I got this one. And so we got married early. And that's kind of what it was. And it was platonic. And she just wanted a kid, basically, is what it turned out to be.

[Jack Lawrence]

Chad, still working two jobs, had also written a couple of pieces of software that got him some attention. And eventually he starts seeing ads from large companies looking for computer experts and decides to see if he can score himself one of these positions.

[Chad Hauer]

And so I'm like, okay. So I made up a resume. Autistic people generally don't like to lie, and I don't lie. But I can't tell people I'm 19, right? Because then they're gonna be like, you got no experience?

[Jack Lawrence]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Chad Hauer]

But I do kind of have this Delphi program that everybody knows about. And I had written some articles for some magazines that got published as well. It got my name out there. So on the resume I put working for this bank, I didn't say what I did, so I just let them assume I was doing software development. I wasn't. I was driving a truck. I was. I was running paperwork around, right?

[Jack Lawrence]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chad Hauer]

And. But on the resume I put, you know, I listed all the programming languages I knew because I've been programming at that point since I was. Well, you know, for a long time I've been teaching college students. Okay. So I put on my resume, began programming in 1980. So it led people to believe I had 14 years programming experience, which wasn't unnecessarily true.

[Jack Lawrence]

No, no.

[Chad Hauer]

And so I didn't think anything of it. I'm like, well, I'll keep working at the bank. And then I started getting phone calls, and they're like, would you be willing to go to Texas for. For a few months? I'm like, $50 an hour. Yeah, I'll go to the moon if you want.

[Jack Lawrence]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know. So after a quick phone interview, which he blitzes, Chad is then off to Texas the following week for a couple of months while his new bride stays in Pennsylvania. And so begins his life in computer software, making quite the name for himself. He would move from company to company, from state to state, being headhunted for different roles in large firms across America, until eventually he would get himself a more permanent position in Tennessee. And that's where life at home started to change.

[Chad Hauer]

My wife got pregnant, and so our son was born in June 1996. And that's when things started getting weird.

[Jack Lawrence]

So we're gonna take a short break, but when we come back, Chad's marriage would take a turn for the worst and start a chain of events that would eventually see him a wanted man.

[Chad Hauer]

So he's in the house alone. So he picks up like, hey, cool dad, what's up? Right? And he's like, guess what? I have news. And I'm like, okay, what? He's like, we're moving.

[Acast Announcer]

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[Jack Lawrence]

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[Acast Announcer]

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[Edward Jones Narrator]

Acast.com what does it mean to live a rich life? It means brave first leaps, tearful goodbyes, and everything in between. With over 100 years experience navigating the ups and downs of the market and of life, your Edward Jones financial advisor will be there to help you move ahead with confidence. Because with all you've done to find your rich, we'll do all we can to help you keep enjoying it. Edward Jones Member, SIPC.

[Jack Lawrence]

If you're enjoying wanted, be sure to subscribe wherever you're listening to us right now. So, you know, never miss an episode. And this is just some of what's still to come.

[Chad Hauer]

They were America's most wanted fugitives. That is until Monday. I'm 43 years old. I was Central America's most sought after assassin, hitman, professional killer.

[Jack Lawrence]

And the woman sat there, she's looking at my passport and eventually a couple of guys come over and say, hey, can you come this way? And the guy just says to me, you know, America, Interpol, red, very bad. And I'm like, okay, shit's got real.

[Acast Announcer]

I'm a wanderer of the soul before the end I plan to behold But I know I lose myself along the way what's gone is gone what's past is past. Let me leave what belongs in the past.

[Jack Lawrence]

So Chad, Nancy and their young son are living in Tennessee. Chad has a great job and is traveling a lot for work. And he says all was well until one day he discovered that his wife had become extremely protective over their young son. So protective, in fact, that she would become extremely angry when Chad takes him to a local fair without her.

[Chad Hauer]

But I remember one time there was a big grocery store in eastern Tennessee called Food City. And every year they had this big food fair. And it was just, it was in the nearby town, nearby city. It was actually in the city where I used to work. So it was like a 10 minute drive. He went one year, he was like, I love it. So next year came along, he's like, dad, food fair, we gotta go and vechna didn't want to go. And he's like, I want to go, I want to go, I want to go. So I'm like, okay, let's go. So I took him. And she's like, you are not to take my son. I'm like, hello, he's our son, right? So I took him and we came back with bags of Twinkies and Ho Hos and just everything because they were giving them for free. And she was standing door. She was standing. I mean, she was, how dare you take my child? And this was when I realized stuff was not right with her.

[Jack Lawrence]

Chad says that because Nancy didn't work, they were always together, running errands, grocery shopping, you name it, they did it as a family unit. So he said he'd never really experienced this possessiveness that Nancy seemed to have over their son. He says his relationship with Nancy had always seemed more like a friendship than a marriage. And eventually Chad says around early 2001, he'd had enough and tells Nancy that he's moving out and straight into his brother in law's house, of all things, Right.

[Chad Hauer]

I packed up my pickup truck, took what I could. I had no place to go because I'm like, listen, we got a kid, so you have a house. Yeah, two cars. They were fairly new. They were only a few years old. I'm like, you keep a car, I'll keep the truck. You got your horses. I'll pay alimony, I'll pay a child support. I make good money. Just take care of the kid and let me see him. That was all I really wanted, right? Yep, yep. That failed almost right away.

[Jack Lawrence]

So Chad is living with his brother in law and says that he had a fantastic relationship with his ex wife's family. Eventually he gets offered a job overseas, Having always wanted to live in Europe, he accepts the position. However, it seems this is where the relationship with him and his ex wife would go horribly wrong.

[Chad Hauer]

So I had the job opportunity, went overseas, went overseas, and I stayed overseas. And so the divorce got finalized. And then so the arrangement for visitation was I, whenever I came in the country, as long as I gave her like two weeks notice and it didn't interfere with schooling that I'd have visitation. Mm. And well, first I had trouble phone calling. Even the phone calls were getting difficult. I would call and they would either never be there, or she wouldn't let me talk to him, or she'd pick up like, he's busy, he's eating, he's with friends, and he was just never there for me to Talk on the phone. So it was already getting difficult. And I'm like, well, I'll just put up with it. I'll try. I got a visit coming up, and I'd show up and they wouldn't be home. So it got ugly from the very beginning.

[Jack Lawrence]

So Chad hops on a plane and he heads back to the US to try and rectify the visitation issues with his former wife. And they end up in mediation.

[Chad Hauer]

And I remember going in and I just saying, listen, here's what I want. She's not abiding by this, and I just want her to basically abide by the visitation agreement. She's like, okay, leave the room. I'll talk to her separately. And after a few minutes, she said she called us in, she had vecna leave. And she's like, listen, I'm gonna do something that I've never, ever done in my career before. She says, your soon to be ex wife is the most intransigent person I have ever met in my entire career. And I'm sending this straight back to the judge without any mediation, because there is no mediation to be had. We got the divorce finalized, and we tried, and it was, again, visitation problems. Visitation problems. She just kept this crap up.

[Jack Lawrence]

Chad's traveling back and forth between the US And Europe, constantly having issues, trying to see his son, until one day, things take a turn for the worse. Still, when in summer of 2004, around his son's eighth birthday, Chad tries to call him, something he says was always an issue.

[Chad Hauer]

So I call, and they would always leave on the answer machine so they could screen the call against me. And so I was like, hey, it's dad. If anybody's there, pick up. And so he's in the house alone. So he picks up like, hey, cool, dad. What's up? Right? And he's like, guess what? I have news. And I'm like, okay, what? He's like, we're moving.

[Jack Lawrence]

Try and put yourself in Chad's position right now. You're a parent involved in a very difficult separation, always struggling to get visitations or even get your child on the phone. You live thousands of miles away in another country, and eventually you get hold of them and they tell you that they're moving.

[Chad Hauer]

I think in the spring of 2004, she had sent me a letter. She's like, well, I want to move. And so I'm like, okay, well, in principle, I agree. I'm just like, you know, if it's something you want to do, give me the details. Let's work it out ahead of time. Let's make sure everything transfers. Because in the US all custody is state level. It's like 50 different countries. And so. But I'm like, in general, I'm like, well, I don't live in the US So I'm flying in and out. It doesn't really matter to me. As long as you're generally near an airport. Yeah, I'm cool. That was it. Agreement in principle. No details, no specifics. So then I get this call. He's like, we're moving. So now I'm like, no, something's wrong here. And I'm like, where are you moving to? He's like, we're moving to Cherry. And then I hear the door open, get off the phone. Clunk. The front door is right by the phone. And she hangs up on me. So now I'm calling back. I'm getting the answer machine. They're not answering. And all I know is they're moving and I don't know about it.

[Jack Lawrence]

In America, they, of course, have different states, and each of those states has different laws. And if a parent of a child with shared custody wants to move out of a state, they must first give the courts 60 days notice of their intention to do so. This ensures that all visitation rights between the parents can be transferred over to the new state and, of course, remain intact. Well, Chad says his wife fails to do this, so he files an injunction.

[Chad Hauer]

And the injunction did not say that she could not move. It did not say she could not move. All it said was she had to appear before the judge and give the details where she's moving and make sure where she's moving is okay, and that if it's in a different state, that the. The court order be transferred account for things like this. So what do you think she does now? There's a court date. What do you think she does?

[Jack Lawrence]

She doesn't show up to the court date.

[Chad Hauer]

Not only does she not show up,

[Jack Lawrence]

she moves on the court date, the

[Chad Hauer]

house, and she moves and does not tell me where she's moving to at all. I get a letter sent to my mother's house. She would send stuff to my mom's house, and my mom would fax it to me saying that, oh, we've moved. I'm not going to tell you where it's postmarked. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is nowhere near where she actually moved. And if you want to contact me, use my mom's address. So I don't know where she's at at all, other than my son told me Cherry. And she's in a three state region among a population of approximately 20 million people or 15. It's a lot of people.

[Jack Lawrence]

The irony of all of this is that before Chad would become a wanted fugitive being hunted by the FBI, he himself would be the hunter on the search for just exactly where his wife had disappeared to with their son.

[Chad Hauer]

So now I'm having to pull up like, you know, get my family to scan maps and fax them to me and find what maps I can on the Internet. I'm trying to find Cherry, any town of the word Cherry in it.

[Jack Lawrence]

Next time unwanted I'm a wanderer of

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[Jack Lawrence]

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[Jack Lawrence]

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Acast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.

[Paige Desorbo or Hannah Berner]

Hey guys. Welcome to Giggly Squad, a place where we make fun of everything, but most importantly ourselves. I'm Paige Desorbo. I'm Hannah Berner. Welcome to the squad. Giggly Squad started on Summer House when we were giggling during an inappropriate time. But of course we can't be managed, so we decided to start this podcast to continue giggling. We will make fun of pop culture news. We're watching fashion trends pep talks where we give advice, mental health moments and games and guests. Listen to Giggly Squad on Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Acast helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast combination.