was the guardian for watching adam for a weekend? and i remember how difficult that situation that decision was. reporter: august, 2001. her mother flew from her home in ki troe boug cairo to visit her daughter and there was something else. she was asking permission to take her two grandsons and her daughter for a rare weekend trip out of state to new york to visit a relative. shannon was suspicious, but reluctantly agreed. i said to my father i said, well, there s no way she can take them to egypt. i have full custody. vie full rights. i have their passports locked in a safe. how could she possibly get them out of the country? reporter: sunday night, the boys weren t back. phone calls to the cousin in new york went unanswered. and it just becomes, let s get in the car and go find out what s going on.