Harris Todd is the father of Samantha Geldenhuys, who was previously known as Savanna Todd. He was involved in a high-profile international abduction case after his ex-wife, Dorothy Lee Barnett, fled with their daughter during a custody dispute in 1994. Barnett was eventually arrested in 2013, and Samantha was reunited with Harris Todd.
Harris Todd and Dorothy Lee Barnett were involved in a bitter custody battle over their daughter, Savanna Todd, after their divorce. In 1994, during a supervised visit, Barnett disappeared with Savanna, and for the next 19 years, they lived under aliases in various countries, including South Africa and New Zealand. Barnett remarried and had another child, while Harris Todd searched for his daughter, working with federal authorities and the FBI.
The case broke in 2013 when Barnett was arrested in Australia, where she was living under the name Alex Geldenhuys. Savanna, now known as Samantha Geldenhuys, was an adult by this time and was shocked to learn about her true identity and the international manhunt that had been underway for her since she was a child.
After Barnett’s arrest, she was extradited to the United States to face charges related to the abduction. She pleaded guilty to parental kidnapping and falsifying passport applications and was sentenced to prison. Meanwhile, Samantha Geldenhuys chose to support her mother throughout the legal proceedings and also reconnected with her biological father, Harris Todd, though the reunion and relationship were complex due to the years of separation and the circumstances of their reunion.