American mother wanted over parental kidnapping arrested in Thailand with nine-year-old son
An American mother wanted over alleged parental kidnapping has been arrested in Thailand with her nine-year-old son.
Candace Lawson, 45, reportedly abducted her own son, Abdelaziz Hassan Mahmoud, while he was visiting her for Christmas in December 2024.
Candace had separated from the boy's father, Hassan Mahmoud, before she allegedly whisked the youngster away to Southeast Asia.
She was said to have fled her home in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and boarded a flight out of the US in February 2025.
The fugitive mother had been hiding out in Thailand for more than a year before she was arrested in a raid on a hostel in Bangkok on Wednesday, August 19.
Thai police worked with the FBI to track her down to the property, where they found her emerging from the bathroom.
Officers checked her passport and confirmed she was the woman named in a visa revocation issued after authorities discovered she was wanted on an Oregon state court warrant for alleged parental kidnapping.
Her son was found unharmed and placed in the care of child protection services while officials worked to reunite him with his father.
Thailand's Immigration Division 3 launched the joint raid with the FBI following intelligence that Candace was involved in a major criminal case in the US.
Police said the boy's father, Hassan, had been given full legal custody as Candace was allegedly abusive and an alcoholic.
Police Major General Songprod Sirisukha, commander of Immigration Division 3, said: ‘We will not allow Thailand to become a hiding place for foreign offenders, especially in cases involving child safety, and stand fully ready to cooperate with international law enforcement agencies in all cases.'
Hassan Mahmoud launched the 'Bring Aziz Home' campaign after his son disappeared while visiting his mother in Oregon in December 2024.
He said he lost contact with Aziz in January 2025 before later discovering the had allegedly been taken out of the US without his consent.
He claimed the mother had held Aziz hostage to use for a 'hostile takeover' of his own company.
He said he had previously sought help from authorities but 'felt ignored' and allegedly discriminated against.
He wrote on the website: 'Because his own mother is the one who took him, it feels like this hasn't been taken seriously. Because I am a father, I have been made to feel like I shouldn't be the sole parent. Because I am a Palestinian Muslim, I have felt racism and prejudice in the way my case has been handled.'
