Father Charged in Kidnapping Did Right Thing, Daughters Say

Two young women whose father allegedly kidnapped them from their mother 19 years ago stood by him Monday, portraying him as a loving dad who did what he had to do to protect his daughters.

“I firmly believe what happened with my sister and I some 19 years ago happened for a good reason--my dad wanted us to be safe and to grow up happy, healthy and strong,” Lisa Martin, 21, said at a news conference with sister Rachael, 23.

Both sisters spoke confidently without losing their composure.

Neither sister mentioned their mother, Barbara Kurth, with whom they have not been reunited. Their father told them their mother had died in a car wreck.

Stephen Fagan, who took the alias Dr. William Martin, has said he took them in 1979 because their mother was neglecting them. Lisa--then called Wendy--was 2; Rachael was 5. The couple had divorced the previous year.

If the situation were to occur today, Lisa said, she would want her father to do the same thing.

Fagan has said Kurth was an alcoholic. Her lawyers said she suffered from narcolepsy, an illness that causes sudden, deep sleep. She has denied neglecting the children.

Fagan, 56, was arrested April 16 on kidnapping charges. He allegedly took the girls from Massachusetts and began a new life in Florida.

Kurth declined to comment. But her attorney, Jacob Atwood, said: “In time, we all hope that Wendy and Rachael will come to know the truth that has been hidden from them for the past two decades.”