The reunion of a Latvian woman and her 15-year-old son who was snatched as a baby while in his pram outside a supermarket is fantastic news and must give hope to families of other families of missing children.

Irina Sukhova (pictured above with her mother) struggled considerably to gain any media interest after her six-week-old son was abducted and received no response to adverts in the local and national press.

Her husband turned to drink and the couple’s marriage disintegrated, but the anguished mother continued her search alone, even hiring a private detective. But following no leads, police closed the case after the 10th anniversary of the disappearance.

It was common practice in those days for prams to be left outside supermarkets as the shopping aisles were very cramped. While the pram was later found, there was no sign of Vladimir, her only child.

The breakthrough came after a family judge became suspicious about a woman serving a prison sentence and was going to remove her son from her care. The woman confessed he was not her biological son and the judge, remembering the case of Irina’s missing son, ordered a DNA test which proved positive.

While it was a happy ending, it must have been a terrible shock for Vladimir, renamed Ruslan, to learn about the lies his mother had told him for so many years. But I’m so thrilled for his overjoyed mother, who never gave up hoping for his safe return.

* And I would like to wish the best best luck to the stunning Tara London who is a finalist for the best solo female act in the Indy Music Awards 2008.

She was so moved by the plight of families of missing people that she wrote and and recorded a song specially for the campaigning group Forever Searching called "Find Your Way Home". What a star. And it’s a brilliant song. I think she sounds very similar to Norah Jones.

You can play it here. But be prepared to be very moved, it is so haunting, especially when you hear it on the site of a missing American teenager Justin Gaines.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if more missing people could find their way home like Vladimir, just like the lyrics in Tara’s song.

In memory of those who are still missing.

UPDATE: Essential reading by JMB on a story about a missing child and how it changes everyone’s life.