Ed Wunsch majored in criminal justice and psychology, but it's no secret which of the two fields he leans on regularly in his unusual line of work.
Wunsch is a private investigator, specializing in the strange and strained world of "child abductions by parents." The 58-year-old bachelor lives in St. Louis Park, where his company, Commercial Reports, is based. While his bread-and-butter work comes from contentious family-court custody and criminal defense cases, Wunsch devotes increasing pro bono hours to helping traumatized parents reunite with children who were illegally taken by former spouses or partners.
Wunsch arrived for a recent interview wearing a Packers sweatshirt and jeans, from which he pulled out a constantly buzzing smartphone. He was generous with his time and stories, but requested that I not take his picture.
Q: Why do parents kidnap their own child?
A: Of the cases I work on, most have nothing to do with the kids. It's mostly about getting back at the other parent. A few months ago, a father got a child support order increasing his payments. So he kept the kid. Even when they get joint custody, this happens. It's vindictiveness, a lot of control issues. What's the worst thing a parent could do? Take the kid.
I'm not a parent, so I can only imagine the trauma.
Q: What do you make of the high-profile case in which Sandra Grazzini-Rucki was charged with felony deprivation of parental rights for allegedly hiding her daughters, Samantha and Gianna, from their father since 2013?
A: I was not involved. That case was weird even by our standards. I don't know all the circumstances, but I'm guessing that the mom somehow knew the jig was up. In my opinion, there were outside influences in this case … some kind of underground support system. Most of the time, there is some other influence, like a family member or grandparents involved.
