Mom Of Abandoned Boy Wants Part In Custody Talks

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The mother of an 11-year-old boy who was abandoned by his father in July has come forward saying she wants to be part of discussions about the boy's future.

Katik Porter hasn't seen her son in nearly a decade. But Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom says the woman has now asked to be part of court proceedings about her child's custody. Backstrom says the boy is currently staying with a relative.

The child's father, 60-year-old Steven Cross of Lakeville, left the boy in mid-July with a letter saying the mother he thought was dead was really alive. Cross was arrested in California. He has waived extradition and will be returned to Minnesota to face a child neglect charge.

Porter has not returned messages left by The Associated Press.

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