Chad Hower / The TikTok Fugitive

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Overview

Chad Hower, also known as The TikTok Fugitive or Kudzu the Raccoon, is an American fugitive and software developer indicted on a charge of international parental kidnapping in 2009 for allegedly kidnapping his son Aarys, which he claims is false. Throughout the 2020s, Hower gained notoriety online as "The TikTok Fugitive" as he began posting videos explaining why he's wanted by the FBI and Interpol, why he's innocent and how the indictment has kept him and his son in Saint Kitts for years. Aarys Hower remains on the missing person's list despite not being missing and is purportedly trying to get his name off the list.

History

Kidnapping Indictment

On October 15th, 2009, archives.fbi.gov^[1] published an announcement that Titusville, Pennsylvania man Chad Zachary Hower, a software developer who used to work for Microsoft,^[2] had been indicted for "international parental kidnapping." Chad Hower's website, Kudzuworld.com,^[3] features a full explanation of how he became wanted by Interpol and the FBI for the alleged kidnapping of his son Aarys, aka Alex Hower. The page begins by linking to a 2021 YouTube upload by Yoselin Person of a JET 24 news interview with Alex Hower, during which he discusses how he was not kidnapped and how he's trying to get his name off the missing person's list (shown below).

On his site, Chad Hower explains that in 2001, he and his ex-wife, the mother of Aarys, living in Tennessee, separated. Chad moved to Europe and Aarys stayed in Tennessee. Custody was transferred to Chad in 2005 after Aarys' mother interfered with Chad's visitation times on multiple occasions. Aarys' mother moved to Pennsylvania and filed kidnapping charges against Chad despite the custody changes.

Chad flew to the U.S. with Aarys in June 2006 so his mother could have custody over the summer, staying for one week and never entering Pennsylvania. She claimed she would not return him to Chad after the summer. A judge had to intervene and order her to send him back to Chad. That November, the same judge (Judge White) in Chad's words, "participated in creating knowingly false kidnapping charges" against him, which claimed that Aarys was missing. Chad explains, "Later these were trumped up into Federal Kidnapping Charges."

In 2009, while on a trip to Bulgaria, Chad was arrested, but set free. He writes, "Since then a bureaucratic nightmare has ensued with FBI agents more interested in covering their mistakes than resolving the situation." He then added:

The U.S. government has tried and failed TWICE to extradite me from two separate countries. Yet, they keep up the farce. After the evidence was unsealed during the first extradition attempt, it was revealed that the only evidence ever presented is the testimony of my ex-wife who has repeatedly lied on the stand on numerous occasions.

Finally, Chad explains that the FBI knows where he and Aarys (now in his mid-20s) are and that he didn't kidnap his son, showing several pieces of evidence to support this including a court document claiming to know of Aarys' location (shown below). He also says Aarys' mother has purportedly visited him before and claims that in the timeframe where they claim he kidnapped his son, he was actually in Europe, making it impossible.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN' poster GET HELP THE ISSUES OUR WORK EDUCATION SUPPORT US English poster A MISSING HELP BRING ME HOME Aarys Oberlander-hower Missing Since: Nov 6, 2006 Missing From: Titusville, PA DOB: Jun 5, 1996 Age Now: 25 Sex: Male Race: White Hair Color: Lt. Brown Eye Color: Brown Height: 4'9" Weight: 65 lbs O Report a sighting Share this poster DON'T HESITATE! ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT CALL 911 OR 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST®) Federal Bureau of Investigation (Pennsylvania) 1-412-432-4000 EN SP NCMEC: 1074204 Age Progressed Aarys' photo is shown age-progressed to 20 years. He was last seen on November 6, 2006. Aarys may be in the company of his father. They are believed to be in Cyprus or Bahrain. Aarys has a scar under his right eye and a scar under his chin. MISSING & EXPLOITED +

And if that is not enough proof of their deceit, here is a Pennsylvania court order from the very same Pennsylvania court acknowledging that they know where he is. IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF VENANGO COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA CIVIL ACTION-LAW CHAD ZACHARY HOWER, VS. NANCY SUE OBERLANDER, formerly: NANCY SUE OBERLANDER-HOWER, : Defendant/Petitioner : 1. Plaintiff/Respondent ORDER OF COURT th AND NOW, this day of November, 2009, upon consideration of the Petition for Special Relief and Emergency Custody and in light of the special circumstances of this case, it is hereby ADJUDGED, DECREED and ORDERED that: 2. 3. Civ. No. 1751-2004 this Court continues to exercise jurisdiction over this case pursuant to its previous orders of September 5th, November 6th, and December 27th, 2006. the Order of December 27, 2006 which ordered the father to relinquish custody of the subject minor child to the mother and awarded the mother sole and exclusive custody of the subject minor child is still in effect and will be enforced by this Court. the authorities of the country of are directed to recognize this Order and this Court's previous orders in this case, and is ordered to cooperate with the United States authorities and to relinquish custody of the child to the United States Department of State.

The TikTok Fugitive

In 2022, Hower began posting videos to his TikTok account @kudzutheraccoon explaining his story and spreading awareness in an attempt to get himself off the wanted list and his son off the missing person's list. His videos then began to gain notable traction. For example, on November 12th, 2022, Hower posted a video to TikTok^[4] explaining the story behind his charges that garnered over 877,000 views in seven months (shown below).

@kudzutheraccoon

♬ Emotional Cinematic Sad Violin and Piano

Online Presence

Throughout late 2021 and 2022, Hower uploaded numerous timelapse videos of Saint Kitts sunsets to his YouTube^[5] channel. Hower's TikTok and Instagram^[6] videos, where he answers questions about his fugitive status and further explains his story, became increasingly popularized on TikTok throughout the 2020s (examples from 2023 shown below).