‘Traumatized’ single mother claims Southwest Airlines accused her of child trafficking while she was traveling with his four year old son since Florida to Ohio.
Video shows the moment Mary Bridgetta Tomachio, 45, was confronted by two armed police officers at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport on Feb. 17 after receiving a suspicious report from “a pilot.”
Tomachio told DailyMail.com that at first she thought the officers were joking, but quickly became terrified when they questioned her and asked for proof that she was their mother.
The brunette publicist said she is aware that she and her blonde son, Lucian Merk, look different and had even dyed her hair lighter earlier this month to make them look more alike. The couple also has different last names since he shares his father’s last name.
But the mother added that the incident was unacceptable and called on the industry to introduce proper protocol.
She said: “The unfair accusation left me feeling humiliated and emotionally traumatized and highlights a problematic pattern of discriminatory behavior towards single parents, particularly those who do not share the same surnames or physical appearance as their children.”
Bridgetta Tomachio pictured with her four-year-old son, Lucian Merk, who bears his father’s last name.
The single mother claims the Southwest pilot accused her of child trafficking and two police officers detained her at the Cincinnati airport.
Tomachio is a publicist and book coach and has more than 50,000 followers on Instagram
“It is unacceptable that today a single mother traveling with her child can be attacked and accused of such a heinous crime.” based solely on unfounded suspicions without any established protocol,” he added.
Tomachio said he travels at least once a month, sometimes twice, with his son to visit the boy’s father, who lives in Ohio.
The publicist and book consultant is a member of Rapid Rewards and said she has “no idea why she was selected.”
Two agents at the Hertz car rental counter approached her and cited a call from a pilot who had expressed concern. This was confirmed by the airport report.
Body camera footage from the airport showed an officer questioning Tomachio. ‘So we just got a couple of calls. Is this your son?
A bewildered Tomachio replied: ‘Yes!’
The officer continued, “I don’t know exactly what was going on, but the pilot was worried about possible traffic,” to which the shocked mother responded, “What?”
He explained that they were just responding to a call before asking for any identification.
Tomachio immediately began looking for documents he could show to prove the boy was his son, but was unable to connect to the airport’s WiFi to access an electronic copy of his birth certificate on Google Drive.
Then he handed over his airline ttickets, medical and dental care cards with both your names, a museum card and your own identification.
“I can show you the millions of photos on my phone,” he added. ‘If you go to Instagram you can search for me. In fact, I’m very well known and he’s all over my Instagram.
After the incident, Tomarchio took to his Instagram to upload a furious video detailing the ordeal to his more than 50,000 followers.
The officers immediately backed away and said, ‘You’re okay. Sorry for the inconvenience’. Then they wished him well and left.
Shortly after, Tomarchio took to his Instagram page to upload a furious video detailing the ordeal he had just endured for his more than 50,000 followers.
“No parent should have to go through this,” he said.
“I advocate for myself and all single parents against similar mistreatment in the future,” he added.
Many jumped to her defense, calling the incident “bizarre,” “very scary,” and telling her that her call to action was “a great public service announcement for parents.”
Others offered advice that included carrying a copy of their child’s birth certificate at all times, obtaining a letter from the child’s father stating that he or she is aware that his or her child is traveling, and filing a complaint with the airline.
Tomachio is now calling on airlines to implement a protocol that includes a series of questions that are asked of passengers before involving authorities in cases of suspected child trafficking.
She said Southwest Airlines had tried to contact her but she did not want to respond until she had sought legal advice.
On Tuesday, she created a petition on change.org, asking that all children be required to carry a government-issued ID that lists the names of both legal parents while traveling.
“This measure will not only protect children, but will also reassure parents about the safety of their children during air travel,” he said.
“It will help airlines establish clear protocols around child passengers and ensure they travel with legitimate guardians or parents.”
A Southwest spokesperson denied that its employees were involved in the situation.
A statement from the airline said: “The calls made to local authorities appeared to have been made by an individual or individuals not affiliated with Southwest Airlines. These are serious allegations and we appreciate the Customer’s patience in allowing us to investigate these claims.
Mary MacCarthy and her biracial daughter Moira, 10 at the time, were flying to a funeral on Oct. 22, 2021, following the sudden death of her brother, when they were detained by officers at the Denver airport where she was accused of trafficking. of people. She is now suing Southwest Airlines for racial discrimination
This is not the first time Southwest has come under fire for accusing a mother of human trafficking her own child.
Mary MacCarthy, who is white, was detained by police officers at Denver International Airport while traveling with her mixed-race daughter Moira, now 12, to a funeral in October 2021.
The single mother, who works in technology and lives in Los Angeles, said two police officers questioned her on the plane’s bridge before they finally let her go.
She filmed the incident, and the video shows a Southwest employee and two airport police officers explaining to MacCarthy why they had pulled her aside.
But the incident left her so shaken that she has now filed a lawsuit against the airline in Colorado for “blatant racism.”
In her lawsuit, the mother alleged that the child trafficking allegations occurred “for no reason other than her daughter’s skin color being different from her own.”
He added that the incident caused “extreme emotional distress” and he is seeking economic damages, compensatory damages, as well as punitive and exemplary damages.
MacCarthy said news week: “To this day, when Moira and I are in public, and especially in airports or airplanes, I am very aware that we could be judged and reported for any interaction we have with each other.”
‘It’s a strange feeling to be alert to the most basic behaviors with your child, and it’s exhausting. As for Moira, she is still quiet and doesn’t want to talk about what happened.
MacCarthy’s attorney, David Lane, said the lawsuit was filed to demand accountability and get the company to reexamine its training and policies.
He continued: ‘By using racial profiling to get Denver police to detain innocent travelers, Southwest Airlines has attempted to address the serious criminal activity of sex trafficking by using an easy, stereotypical formula.
‘Just as police are constitutionally not allowed to stop and search young men of color based on their race, American corporations are also not allowed to resort to that type of profiling to use law enforcement to stop and frisk them. questioning racially diverse families simply based on their race. divergent races, which is what Southwest did.
Southwest Airlines said it has no comment on the pending litigation
He told DailyMail.com: ‘At the moment we are in court conducting discovery. “The case is in its early stages and we will continue to communicate with Southwest to see if they are interested in resolving this matter.”
TOAt the time, Southwest said in a statement that it was “heartbroken to learn of this mother’s account while traveling with her daughter.”
“We are conducting a review of the situation internally and will contact the customer to address her concerns and offer our apologies for her experience traveling with us,” a spokesperson added.