After more than two years of searching, Mesa police officer Shawn Freeman has been reunited with his daughter Brooklyn, resolving a national child abduction case.
According to the Mesa Police Department, Brooklyn went missing at the age of four when her mother brought her to California in 2022 following her breakup with Freeman.
Erin Gerlach, Brooklyn’s mother, allegedly accused Freeman of domestic abuse, creating social media accounts to trash his name and texting news outlets posing as him to harm his reputation, according to authorities.
While Freeman was cleared of charges and granted custody, it took a nationwide child abduction case involving federal investigators to reunite him with Brooklyn, according to police.
Mother of missing daughter allegedly slandered Mesa police officer father
Brooklyn’s mother, Erin Gerlach, reportedly set up social media personas depicting Freeman as a domestic abuser.
She also allegedly submitted police reports with other law enforcement organizations claiming to be a victim of domestic abuse, but the Mesa Police Department’s internal affairs unit cleared her of the charges.
In April 2023, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s kid Abduction Unit identified Brooklyn as an abducted kid through the National Crime Information Center.
In February 2024, Freeman was awarded sole custody of Brooklyn while he continued to hunt for her.
“I would get my hopes up because some new intel would come in and later found out that it was not true,” Freeman said in a Wednesday news release. “Erin would make it look like she was somewhere else where she wasn’t.”
When did Mesa police officer reunite with missing daughter?
Authorities noted a shift in the situation when a detective obtained an arrest warrant for Gerlach in May 2024. A nine-month hunt involving government agencies followed.
Authorities eventually located Gerlach at a residence in Murrieta, California. The city police department executed a search warrant, arrested Gerlach, and reunited Brooklyn with her father.
“She wasn’t allowed out of the house for over two years, except on Halloween because they could dress her up,” Freeman said in a Wednesday news release. “She was neglected proper dental and medical care, she went without direct sunlight and was only allowed in the pool at night because people couldn’t see into the backyard.”
Brooklyn currently lives with her father and his fiancée. Freeman said she’s prospering in her new surroundings now that she can play outside and make friends. According to authorities, she is healing with the help of a therapist and medical team.