A federal fugitive warrant was issued for Sako, but authorities could do little else. What about Taraji P. Henson portraying you in the movie? He’s on Pluto.’ Brooklyn anti-Asian attack suspect is mentally ill, siblings say, California man who propped dead wife up on Christmas as kids opened presents found guilty of her murder, Asian man waiting for Manhattan subway hit in chest by bigoted stranger invoking Bruce Lee, The COVID pandemic killed the skinny jean trend, says denim expert. "She was a little reluctant to believe I was his mother, but Kobe recognized me and that changed her mind," Rubin sad. She said she took Kobe into the hallway, "acting as cool as I could," put a wig on him to disguise his short hair and walked out of the building. Recently widowed, Joy recognized that Rubin was a doting father even though he had been thrust into a surprising situation. Rubin was as surprised as he was relieved. "I thought I would never see him again. I’m a stranger who grew up in the projects in the Bronx and she’s a great-grandmother who recently lost her husband. In 2008, Tiffany Rubin’s son Kobe was secretly abducted by her ex and taken to South Korea. He thereby avoided extradition. I thought I’m going to do this, I’m going to bring him back, but for a while it did seem hopeless because I read about kidnapping crimes and how rare it is to get a child back. Kobe had been the subject of a custody dispute between Rubin and her ex-husband, a South Korea native. How has the whole incident changed your life and your relationship with Kobe? “I’m black and she is white. SO TRUE: Taraji Henson and Drew Davis (left) star as Tiffany Rubin and her kidnapped son Kobe. Incredibly, Tiffany found and rescued Kobe. I knew her from the Tyler Perry movies and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and I love that movie. https://www.mylifetime.com/20-lifetime-movies-based-on-true-stories “I’m black and she is white. He’s out there. Mark Miller of Latrobe, founder of the American Association for Lost Children, took the 15-hour flight from New York on Easter Sunday with the mother, Tiffany Rubin, after getting information from an anonymous source that Kobe Cason Lee was with his father, Jeffrey Lee, in a town near Seoul. Did you ever feel hopeless? At first, Rubin, who teaches at Public School 166 in Queens, was at a loss for what to do. Incredibly, Tiffany found and rescued Kobe. When you first realized that Kobe was taken by your ex, what did you do? He then took the child to South Korea. David Haydn-Jones goes toe to toe with Taraji P. Henson from the Emmy-nominated Lifetime movie, "Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story". He gave her Mark’s number because Mark had been on “Inside Edition.”. Tiffany grew up in Monterey Park, California, a municipality 15 miles east of Los Angeles. Jets player Phillip Adams kills 5, including 2 kids, then himself in South Carolina mass shooting: police, Spring breaker drugged, raped and left for dead identified as 24-year-old Philadelphia woman, Ex-Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh weighs in on key draft debate: Zach Wilson vs. Justin Fields, Beauty pageant clash sends Mrs. World to jail and Mrs. Sri Lanka to the hospital. Simpson congratulates Sam Darnold on ‘fresh start,’ tells Deshaun Watson he knows ‘what accusations can do to your reputation’, Former N.Y. She later married another man and shared visitation with her ex. It hurts the child and it hurts both parents. You’re a mother, just like so many Lifetime viewers, and you faced a terrible obstacle, and now your story is a movie. He might. Peter Benson, Actor: Mech-X4. I’ll see if he wants to, or maybe he’ll watch when he’s older. ", Miller smiled, nodded and said, "She worked with us every step of the way without ever faltering. How do you feel about the movie? Jeffrey Sako, a native of South Korea, had been battling Rubin over child custody since their divorce more than two years ago. Rubin told the teacher she wanted to talk with Kobe. What does he think? The drama focuses on Tiffany's effort to … Votes: 757 Do you think Kobe will watch the movie with you? ; Talking about her love life and her husband she is currently single and isn’t yet focused on her marriage and just busy with her professional work. Schoolteacher Tiffany Rubin (Taraji P. Henson) flies to South Korea to reunite with her 7-year-old son, who was kidnapped by his biological father. Taken From Me The Tiffany Rubin Story (DVD) : Follows one mother's nightmarish struggle to retrieve the 7-year-old son her ex-husband whisked out of her life when he abducted the boy and took him back to his native South Korea. Tuesday morning they walked into the school and went to Kobe's classroom. Color wasn’t an issue to her. Bartending mom busted when cops find cocaine on Dr. Seuss book in her home: report, Prince Harry likely to attend Prince Philip’s funeral in England: report, RJ Barrett helps Knicks come alive in late surge, seal deal against Grizzlies in OT, ‘He’s not racist. In this scene, Tiffany's current husband Chris fights for his place in trying to find his missing stepson Kobe. Have you reflected on that? "The whole time," said Rubin, "my heart was thumping like a drum.". And she’s such a nice person; I spoke to her on the phone. It centers on Tiffany Rubin’s daring 2008 rescue of her seven-year-old son Kobe worlds away. I remember thinking how difficult it is to recover a child from a parent when they are taken, but this story will give people hope that they can. Is he able to talk about that time period? If you’re a parent who ends up in my position, follow your gut and don’t lose hope. I was panicking and stayed in bed for a week. Miller stayed behind for a while to run interference if needed. Someone had spotted her 7 … I missed a Christmas with him while he was gone, I missed his birthday, and for Easter we always do things together. "I didn't even know where in South Korea they were," she said. It’s funny because we were watching “The Craigslist Killer” movie and saw the commercial [for “Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story”] and he said, “That’s so weird” when he heard his name on TV. © 2021, A&E Television Networks, LLC. She knew very little about me, and yet, she took me in. He was seeing his father even though I was warned by people to be careful, but I thought it was better for him to have his father in his life. So this is all so amazing.". The tale of Tiffany Rubin (Taraji P. Henson, excellent in a carefully calibrated performance) and her search for the son her ex-husband essentially kidnapped, was compelling, all … Check out Bas Rutten's Liver Shot on MMA Surge: http://bit.ly/MMASurgeEp1http://www.mahalo.com/tiffany-rubin/Tiffany Rubin is … No, his father is not allowed to contact us at all. There are people out there who can help them do it. If there are parents watching the movie who may be fighting and using their children to get revenge on the other parent, what message do you hope they get from your story? With Taraji P. Henson, Terry O'Quinn, David Haydn-Jones, Beverly Todd. She’s great. For a child, it must have seemed like an incredibly long time to be away. I hadn’t really told anyone I was doing it, and women at work were saying, “I was watching ‘The Craigslist Killer’ and saw the commercial!” I try to keep our life as normal as possible. The film will tell the story of Rubin… For a whole year I missed a lot of his life. This fact-based Lifetime drama follows one mother's (Tiffany Rubin played by Taraji P. Henson) nightmarish struggle to retrieve the 7-year-old son (Kobe played by Drew Davis) her ex-husband whisked out of her life when he abducted the boy and took him back to his native South Korea. ( ) In March 2008, Queens school teacher Tiffany Rubin infil trated a … All Rights Reserved. He says, “You’re overprotective,” but after that, I have to be. Tiffany was in a relationship with a Korean man when they had a child. "I'm so happy," said Tiffany Rubin, 30, her arm around son Kobe as they arrived at Kennedy Airport Wednesday night. Tiffany Cross was born on February 7, 1977, in Georgia, Atlanta, USA. It’s strange, but one thing I can say is that it ended happily. He has been married to Julia Benson since August 8, 2009. I like her a lot. She is one courageous woman. For some strange reason, Joy felt compelled to jot down her phone number and give it to Rubin, shocking him. It was come and go. At the time, did you believe that you would be able to find Kobe and bring him back? ; Cross’s age as of 2020 is exactly 43 years and yet she is a well-celebrated author of the nation. In 2008, Tiffany Rubin’s son Kobe was secretly abducted by her ex and taken to South Korea. ", Hip-hop icon DMX, chart-topping rapper and movie star, dead at age 50, Police have been called to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s California home nine times in as many months, Mrs. Sri Lanka 2020 surrenders crown after ripping it from the head of Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021, Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine halted at Georgia site after 8 adverse reactions, 4th J&J site to pause, Hip-hop legends Swizz Beatz, Eve and other artists mourn DMX, NYPD quickly arrests hate suspect for menacing Asian undercover officer in Manhattan, Cops fired legally in Bronx shooting that took lives of suspect and NYPD detective, says DA, O.J. A Queens mom whose 7-year-old son was abducted by her ex-husband last summer returned home with the boy Wednesday night after snatching him from a South Korean school in an act of derring-do that would make James Bond proud. Tiffany Rubin ’08 CEO, Nurse Next Door Delaware. MELROSE, The Bronx (WABC) -- A father whose young twins died after being left in a sweltering car pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment Tuesday and will avoid prison. "We did a little surveillance," said the modest Miller, finding out where Kobe went to school and charting his schedule. Directed by Gary Harvey. Yeah, he does say, “I thought I was gone for two years,” and I tell him that it was seven months. Rubin claims that her ex-husband, Jeffrey Salko, abducted Kobe during a parental visit in August of 2007. Think of your child first to stop you from doing things like that. At first, Rubin, who … At a young age, she remembers playing and watching sports with her father. This film tells the true story of Tiffany Merle Rubin, whose child Kobe was kidnapped by her ex-husband, Jeffrey ("Jeff") Lee and taken to South Korea, where Mr. Lee was able to convince the authorities that Tiffany was an unfit mother. RESCUE: Drew Davis and Taraji Henson star in “Taken From Me.” In 2008 in Queens, a little boy, Kobe Lee, was abducted from the custody of his mother, Tiffany Rubin, by the boy’s f… I’ve learned that I need to follow my gut instinct and to treasure every moment. Rubin, Kobe and Miller picked up their luggage at their hotel and then sought sanctuary at the U.S. Embassy until they could fly home. “He was nervous because of his experiences in Korea.” But after his first day back, Rubin said her son recognized his classmates. The movie is based upon the true story of Tiffany Rubin who took her son back from her estranged husband half a world away. How did you, as a mother, react? Southern California city wrongfully seized beach resort from Black family in 1924. “I couldn’t believe it,” says Rubin, who runs a small deli and has three grown children from a first marriage and four step-children with Tiffany, 32. The movie, Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story, is based on the true story of a mother from New York whose 6-year-old son was abducted by his father and taken to South Korea. Rubin sought the aid of American Association for Lost Children founder Mark Miller, but she was so emotionally battered by her previous efforts to find Kobe, she nearly didn't accept his aid. You learn to treasure every single itty-bitty thing now, and it makes you overly cautious too. I think the biggest issue is that he didn’t know he was taken, so he thought I just let him go. Get the scoop on new movies with exclusive clips, sneak peeks and more when you sign up for Lifetime Movies email updates. Rubin's sister-in-law Samantha Cason, 30, came to the rescue, hooking her up with the American Association for Lost Children, a nonprofit group that finds missing kids. These are traits exemplified by Tiffany Rubin, the Director of Youth Programs for the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF). On hand to greet them was a welcoming party of family and friends, waving, jumping up and down, clutching balloons and cheering Kobe's name. I would never let him go. — My mother wants us to watch it with her. only to have Kobe shrug, grin and answer, "I don't know, but I feel good.". He has three grown children from a prior marriage and four step-children with Tiffany, then 32. It wasn't, and mother and child made a clean getaway, stopping only to hug and kiss on the sidewalk. Kobe was always number one in my life. Director/producer Scotty Curlee’s latest film “Extraordinary” was released in theaters last September and is now available on DVD/Digital HD.. We last spoke with Scotty back in 2011 for our Interview with him where we discussed his debut film, “The Potential Inside.”. Rubin, who is 30 and married, got new hope in January when she received an online anonymous tip on her Myspace page telling her where to find Kobe. What happened was that Salko stole Kobe Lee from his mom, Tiffany Rubin – who last week made a harrowing journey to South Korea and smuggled her son back home to New York. He knows there’s a movie, but we’re kind of separated from it. One youngster drew laughter when he shouted, "What took you so long, man?" Then one day he takes their son back to Korea unbeknownst to Tiffany. "We're going to relax a little as a family and live a normal life - as normal as possible - and I'm going to keep a close eye on my son. Does Kobe understand there is a movie about him and your story? Jeffrey Sako, a native of South Korea, had been battling Rubin over child custody since their divorce more than two years ago. Now county wants to return it. Hiring a private investigator, who might charge up to $100,000 for the job, wasn't possible on a teacher's salary. Tiffany Rubin began her health care career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) while still in high school, and this position later helped her pay for her ASN degree from PA College (then Lancaster General College of Nursing & Health Sciences), which she earned in 2008. Now her story is the basis for the Lifetime Original Movie “Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story.” Find out what Kobe says about his time away, what Tiffany wants other parents to know and more! Eventually I went online and researched, and ultimately found Mark [of the American Association For Lost Children] through my sister in-law, because she was a teller at a bank and a customer from “Inside Edition” did his banking there and he found out about Kobe. Because he had such a horrible time there, he was thinking, “Why would my mom just let me go?” Even now, I have to sometimes remind him that I didn’t let him go, he was taken from me. Great movie about a real life story of Tiffany Rubin and her son. Peter Benson is known for his work on Mech-X4 (2016), Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Bundle of Trouble: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2017) and Hell on Wheels (2011). NEW YORK – Tiffany Rubin had all but given up hope of ever seeing her abducted child again when she received an anonymous tip through her MySpace page. Schoolteacher Tiffany Rubin (Taraji P. Henson) flies to South Korea to reunite with her 7-year-old son, who was kidnapped by his biological father. “It was hard at first,” said his mother, Tiffany Rubin. The saga of Kobe and his mom began last August when his father spirited him off to South Korea after a visit at the dad's Brooklyn home. 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