Girl in Custody Battle Returns From Rome

The 3-year-old daughter of a San Pedro woman killed by her ex-boyfriend in Italy last year returned to California for a reunion with her grandparents Saturday, after an Italian court ruled that her custody battle should should be decided by authorities in Los Angeles, not Rome.

Santina Ventre, who spent nearly a year and a half in Italian foster care, will be in the temporary custody of her grandparents, Milton and Betty Dykstra, following Tuesday’s decision by an Italian court.

“I’m on cloud 9 and I’m scared to death,” said Betty Dykstra. She brought a Barbie doll, pajamas and a blanket to the airport and said a special birthday celebration is being planned for the girl, who turns 4 on Monday.

Among the relatives who welcomed Santina at the airport were her grandparents, an uncle and an aunt who is the twin sister of her mother. As she got off the plane, Santina’s grandfather swept her up in his arms and carried the child to her grandmother.

“There is no better feeling than to be holding this baby in my arms,” said Milton Dykstra.

Santina’s mother, Toni Dykstra, was found dead of a head wound on July 28, 1998, in the Rome apartment of Carlos Ventre, Santina’s father. Dykstra, then 29, had followed him to Italy to retrieve the girl, allegedly abducted by Ventre.

Ventre said he killed Dykstra in self-defense. He has never been prosecuted in connection with the killing, and the case remains under investigation by Italian authorities, said Ron Lais, a child custody attorney who is working free on behalf of the Dykstras. That investigation could make it difficult for Ventre to win custody of Santina, Lais said.

Ventre filed for custody last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Lais said. Ventre’s California lawyer, Nathan Ucuzoglu, could not be reached for comment. His legal assistant, Veronica Munoz, said he has declined to comment on the case in the past.

Lais said Ventre and Toni Dykstra never married. Dykstra had custody of Santina when Ventre allegedly abducted the girl in 1998. She petitioned for Santina’s return to the United States under an international treaty governing kidnapping cases.

After Dykstra’s death, the Italian court turned Santina over to Italian foster parents. But that changed with Tuesday’s ruling.

“This court considers the return of Santina to California the best thing for her future well-being,” the Italian judges said in their decision. “Her mother’s untimely death and her father’s personality have prevented this court from granting the custody rights to Mr. Ventre. The child needs to have a permanent family of her own.”

Their decision was made after the filing of a brief by a legal team that included a specialist in domestic violence and the Dykstras’ family attorney, Lais said.

About 6 a.m. Tuesday, a State Department official telephoned the Dykstras with word of the ruling.

“Our prayers have been answered,” Milton Dykstra said he shouted upon hearing the news.

During her stay in Italy, Santina saw her American grandfather only once in September 1998 and once last month because of visitation restrictions imposed by the Italian Court of Minors. A translator from the American Consul in Rome helped the two communicate, although Santina seems to be learning both English and Italian, her grandparents said. The girl has both Italian and American citizenship.

Lawyers for the Dykstras told the Italian judges that the couple would pay special attention to Santina’s education. Betty Dykstra will serve as a teacher’s aide where Santina goes to school, they said.

A private family meeting among Santina, her half-sisters born previously to Toni Dykstra, and her cousins is expected later this month, Betty Dykstra said. She said Santina has no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding her alleged abduction and return.

“We will tell her in our own way and in her own time,” she said.