Girl Regains Baby After Murder of Adoptive Parents

A teen-age mother brought her 9-month-old son home after reclaiming him in California because his adoptive parents had been slain.

Clad in sneakers, jeans and a T-shirt, Tracy Medeiros, 18, and her son, Travis, were greeted at Logan Airport Thursday night by a phalanx of reporters and half a dozen relatives--among them Travis’ great-grandparents, who had never seen the child.

“We celebrated our 50th anniversary in September and now this surprise!” said Alfred Medeiros.

“He’s so beautiful, he’s just lovely,” cooed his wife, Anita.

Medeiros lives with her mother in Billerica, Mass., and works at a state hospital for the mentally retarded. She has arranged full-time child care so she can continue working.

Nine months ago, Madeiros gave up her infant son so he could enjoy a better life with a couple who could afford it. A mutual friend arranged for Tasia Stephens, 43, and her husband, William, 45, to adopt the child, and Travis had lived since birth in their Novato, Calif., home.

But last month the adoptive parents were shot to death a few feet from the baby’s crib. And Madeiros, who said she was now ready for the responsibilities of motherhood, successfully fought to regain custody of little Travis.

Pregnant at 17, Medeiros decided before his birth to give up her baby after her boyfriend left her. A former boyfriend introduced Medeiros to his cousin, Tasia Stephens, and her husband.

Married for 15 years and owners of a handful of successful hair salons and video stores, Tasia, 43, and William, 45, wanted desperately to adopt a baby.

The young mother-to-be and the Stephenses grew close. Medeiros stayed at a home for teen-age mothers in Santa Rosa, Calif., during her pregnancy. She and the couple chose the baby’s name together and the Stephenses were present at his birth.

The adoption process began. Meanwhile, Medeiros planned to visit the baby and the Stephenses during the holidays.

But a telephone call to Massachusetts changed everything.

Novato police notified Medeiros that the Stephenses had been found shot to death in their bed on Dec. 14. A hungry, but unharmed, Travis was found in his crib a few feet away. Authorities estimated he had been there unattended for at least 24 hours.

Medeiros said she was crushed by news of the violent deaths and the realization that the safe, secure future she thought she arranged for her son was suddenly uncertain.

“I thought, ‘What am I going to do with the baby?’ ” she said. “I thought, ‘I love him, I want him to be with me.’ ”