Former Olympic Athlete Disappears with American Son in Brazil

American Father: No Indication Wife Would Kidnap Child

This was not the life Birotte imagined when he met Caldeira in Las Vegas several years ago. He was working as a chef at Cesear's Palace. She was on vacation with friends and stopped him for directions as he was headed into a Vegas club.

They were married in December 2004. Kelvin Jr. was born the following summer.

"We traveled back and forth several times to Brazil," Birotte said. "We had his baptism and christening there."

Cracks began to form in the marriage. She was upset that he didn't drink, he said, and that his long hours as a chef kept him away from home for too long. But Birotte said he never imagined she'd kidnap their child.

In April 2006, Birotte said he signed paperwork authorizing Caldeira, who was in the U.S. on a temporary green card, to take Kelvin Jr. to Brazil for three months to visit her family.

When he spoke to her in June, nearly a month before they were to return to Las Vegas, Caldeira said she needed more time in Brazil, in part to help care of her ailing siblings.

"She said she needed to stay longer, that she wasn't going to make it back," he said. "I wanted her to come back for his birthday."

He contacted a lawyer and also the Brazilian embassy. The embassy, he said, urged him to give her the time she wanted.

But that time, he said, was used to allow Caldeira to keep Kelvin in the country for four months, the amount of time the government requires to establish residency for a child of a Brazilian parent. Kelvin was officially made a Brazilian citizen in October 2006.

Birotte was floored. He left his job at Cesear's Palace and broke his lease in Las Vegas and moved back to his native Houston to be closer to the U.S. side of the investigation since that's where Caldeira flew out of on her way to Brazil.

He's back to working as a chef, but told his employer early on that he may need to leave the U.S. at a moment's notice to get his son.

Birotte Case Similar to Goldman Custody Battle

The last time Birotte saw Kelvin was in 2007 when Kelvin was about 19 months old when Birotte flew to Brazil for a court hearing.

"The first couple of hours he was kind of scared," Birotte said.

So, Birotte said, he sang to him just like he used to when he would come home from work.

"You're my angel, You're my angel," Birotte sang. "He remembered that and he's like 'Papa, Papa' and he ran and gave me a hug."

He tried to return again, but Caldeira blocked him, demanding money in exchange for his son, something the U.S. goverment advised him he could not do without making it look like he agreed to her keeping him in Brazil.

And the close relationship Birotte enjoyed with Caldeira's family quickly disintegrated when he refused to let the boy stay in Brazil without a fight.

Instead, Birotte sent his son clothing and bottles of a milk substitute since regular milk made him sick.

Birotte said he expects to stay in Brazil at least through Monday.

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