Abducted by Grandparents: The Richard Wayne Landers Jr. Story Resurfaces After Two Decades

Richard Wayne Landers Jr. found alive after 19 years is now married and has children of his own

Megan Ashley
3 min readNov 10, 2023
Richard Wayne Landers Jr. (Source)

Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was only five years old when he was abducted in 1994 from Wolcottville, Indiana, by his paternal grandparents.

Landers Jr. appears to have always lived with his grandparents, along with his parents, but when the two split up, Landers Jr. was the subject of a long and bitter custody battle.

Ultimately, temporary full custody was awarded to his mother, Lisa Harter. There are reports that Harter had been homeless, but at the time of the final custody hearing, she had secured an apartment and was equipped to take custody and care for her son. However, the grandparents disagreed, and they took off the morning they had been mandated to hand over Landers Jr.

For two decades, the case had sat cold, with neither Richard Landers Sr. nor Harter having contact with their son. The grandparents, Richard and Ruth Landers, had a warrant out for their arrest for the abduction, but they weren’t heard from for years.

Over the years, his parents never lost hope of finding their son. His pictures were sent out locally and

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