Investigators are chasing a new lead in the search for two children abducted decades ago.
The victims, who are now adults, may be living in San Diego, authorities believe. The father of the victims said his kids could have been brainwashed. That would explain why they never tried to contact him, he added, hoping that will change.
In the late 1980s, Katharine and Robert Baskin's grandparents Marvin and Sandra Maple accused the children's parents of sexually abusing the children. Authorities in Tennessee ultimately found no evidence to support those claims, but in March 1989, Katharine and Robert's grandparents allegedly kidnapped them and disappeared.
"I can't go into details about psychological stability, but obviously you don't run off with your children's kids like this unless there is something wrong with you," the children's father, Mark Baskjin, said. "I don't have a family anymore."
Debbie and Mark Baskin have been searching for nearly 20 years for their children. Mark said that Debbie's parents have always been one step ahead of them.
"They have known all this time how to blend in and not do things to electronically alert themselves," Mark said.
A few sightings of the children were reported in the Bay Area in the '90s after the children appeared on the TV show "Unsolved Mysteries." Just last month, Tennessee authorities got a tip from that they may have been spotted in San Diego, according to Mark.
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"The hurt never goes away, and to be honest with you, when things like this happen, it opens up wounds again, but that's expected," Mark said.
Computer-generated pictures of what Katharine and Robert would look like now, in their 20s, have been released to the public.
Mark is hoping they are in San Diego and will hear this message.
"That we never stopped loving them, we don't blame them for what happened, and that we would love to have contact with them," Mark said.
Mark said a tipster apparently spotted the kids and grandparents about eight years ago. He believes they settled in San Diego and are still living here.
