In 1987, then 21-month-old Jermaine Mann was kidnapped by his father and manipulated into believing that his mother was dead following a court-ordered visit in Toronto. Allan Mann, Jermaine’s father, had given him a phony name that he had been living under all this time in the United States.

Now, Lyneth Mann-Lewis has been reunited with her son, who has been missing for over 30 years.

Connecticut police arrested Allan Mann, who had been living under the false name Hailee Randolph Desouza in a suburb of Hartford, Connecticut. It took over 200 tips from people in both the US and Canada before the police were finally able to track down Mann who used fake birth certificates to create new lives for himself and his son. U.S. The final tip came from Housing and Development officials after reviewing Allan Mann’s application for subsidized housing and discovering that his birth certificate was fraudulent.

Mann-Lewis told ABC the reunion was emotional. “The words ‘Your son is alive, we’ve found him’ — that is breathtaking,” Mann-Lewis said. “I said, ‘Oh my God, my baby.’ He said, ‘Mommy, you have my eyes.’ He hugged me and he kissed me and we held for a long time.”

Mann-Lewis also offered some words of encouragement to those still searching for their own lost or abducted children. “I want to encourage other families with missing children and loved ones not to ever, ever give up hope on finding them,” Mann-Lewis said. “I am the proof that after 31 long years of suffering, 31 long years, one should never give up. But be patient. Be strong and believe that all things are possible and that anything can transpire.”

Allan Mann is being extradited to Canada.