Earlier this year Allison Quets was returned to the U.S. from Canada after allegedly abducting her birth twins. She remains in jail awaiting trial. So what happens when someone abducts their child in Canada and heads to North Carolina?
The Charlotte Observer reported this story yesterday. It will be interesting to see if he too will be charged with International Kidnapping and be denied bail. He has been able to allude authorities since April 23rd.
A 36-year-old Claremont man has been charged by U.S. and Canadian officials with the abduction of his 4-month-old daughter, who like her mother is a Canadian citizen, the U.S. Marshals Service announced today.
Billy Ray Whisnant Jr. surrendered to marshals in Charlotte this morning and is being held pending an extradition hearing, said Steve Gladden, spokesman for the Marshals Service Charlotte office.
The Hickory Daily Record conducted a check for prior criminal acts.
An N.C. Department of Corrections reveals a history of convictions for Whisnant, including assault on a female, larceny, felony breaking and entering to vehicles and resisting an officer.
A detention hearing for Whisnant is set for Friday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte.
If the U.S. District Court remains consistent, you wouldn’t think he should be expected to be out anytime soon. His story has yet to be covered as extensively as that of Ms. Quets as a quick Google search on his name “Billy Ray Whisnant Jr.” produces 2 results while “allison quets” will return 932 at last count.
In her decision to keep Allison Quets incarcerated for “abducting” her twins, the judge earlier this year made this statement concerning her decision to refuse bond.
“I don’t feel there’s anything I could do to fashion a set of conditions that she wouldn’t act against those impulses,” Judge Flanagan said.
Update 05-22-07: According to this Google Translated page from CapAcadie Billy Ray should be in Canada. The only mystery now is why the media is ignoring his story in North Carolina.
Police officers of the GRC will go to North Carolina tomorrow (Sunday). They will return in company of Billy Ray Whisnant, who is extradited in Canada within the framework of an investigation relating to a removal of child.
The members of the GRC will be back to the International airport of Large Moncton Monday afternoon, in company of Mr. Whisnant.
Billy Ray Whisnant will appear before provincial Court with Moncton on Friday June 22, at 9 a.m
News 91.9 Moncton confirms the sentence handed down was 2 years and a day suspended.
When a child goes missing 
What happened to the comment from the mother of the infant that was abducted by Billy Ray Whisnant Jr., Sue Burgess? She was the only one that was giving any information on this case and it was just posted here on June 13th and now taken off. It seems that the media in the U.S. is just sweeping it under the rug. Carolyn
Good Day,
I have to say that today I am embarrased to say that I am Canadian and our justice system has failed all abducted children.
Billy Ray Whisnant Jr was given a suspeneded sentance today after coming into our country illegally and taking his 4 month old daughter accross an international border with out the mothers knowledge and consent.
He took a 4 month old baby from everything and everyone she knew, terrorized the mother for over a month while he was sitting in jail, calling her over 100 times and threatening her that if he had to return to Canada to get his child again that she would never see the baby again.
And after all this, he is set free. Tell me where is our justice system????????
Carolyn,
The comment was accidently deleted while clearing out spam messages as her comments were/are very much welcomed. The media does appear to be ignoring this story both in Canada and the US as a Google search provides limited information.
It may be being covered via print media in Canada but I don’t know.
You have just got to be kidding me. He just got off scott free? I cannot understand why the grandmother was not charged as an accessory to the child abduction. After all, she went with him to do it. I happen to know his family and have for a long time, although I don’t associate with them. His mother is from a very low class family, his father died in 2001 (and no body knows better than me what a pervert HE was). It is beyond me how this child’s mother ever got mixed up in a family such as this one. GOOD LUCK TO HER !!! and I mean that.
ps. if there is ANY justice in this world at all, the U.S. will restrict Billy as well as his mother from ever entering Canada again.