Woman of Failing Mental Health Surrounded by Complicated Guardianship, Kidnapping, and Divorce Cases

Fourough Bakhtiar, an 81-year-old Ohio woman that was deemed incompetent by court order five months ago, is at the heart of a complicated family battle that involves three separate legal actions. The court is trying to determine her guardianship issue and care, her daughter is facing charges of kidnapping and theft, and divorce proceedings between her and her husband are pending.

The divorce proceedings were initiated by her daughter, Jaleh Presutto, who is charged with kidnapping Bakhtiar after being estranged from the family for years. Though Presutto claims she was protecting her mother.  Presutto is currently seeking $20,000 from Bakhtiar to assist with her criminal defense against the kidnapping charges.

The complicated situation surrounds a woman that seems confused by the situation and has difficulty expressing that she understands the situation to the judge, and has torn the family apart as they have had little contact with Bakhtiar since she was removed from her home by Presutto.

See Eric Sandy, Was An 81-Year-Old Wife, Mother and Grandmother Abducted By Her Own Daughter or Rescued From a Bad Situation?, Cleveland Scene, Apr. 29, 2015.