An FBI agent reunited with a boy whom he rescued as a baby 22 years ago in Lakewood.
It was Troy Sowers’ retirement day when he got a surprise to meet the boy who is all grown up now.
In 1997, a person disguised as a nurse abducted the woman’s newborn son from a hospital in Lakewood, Washington. The police and FBI started searching for the baby, Stewart Rembert.
Troy Sowers was one of 30 investigators the FBI assigned to the case. Fortunately, he managed to find the baby 19 hours later in a box next to a restaurant dumpster in nearby Tacoma and Stewart was reunited with his parents.
The suspect was sentenced to 10 years in prison for kidnapping.
“I had graduated from the FBI academy approximately two or three months prior to that,” he told The News Tribune.
“In one of my final supervisors’ meetings, I commented that I felt like I’ve had a pretty solid career,”
“In the first couple of months, I pulled a baby out of a box. And when I ended my career, I got to meet Dolly Parton here in Tennessee.”
”I pulled a baby out of a box… That was tough, I had to take a couple deep breaths before I started talking.”
”I always remembered that night when I picked him up, he was not crying he just nuzzled right into my neck and I knew he was fine.”
“This is what I came to the FBI for, to do good things like this,” he continued. “We had found him, he was alive, he was going to be returned to his parents. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Sowers’ colleagues decided to plan a special surprise for him during his retirement party on Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. Rembert was invited by them to Tennessee to help celebrate Sowers and his service with the FBI.
Sowers was shocked when Rembery walked in and he was happy to see the boy he saved 22-years-ago went onto becoming a Marine. The retiring agent said this is “one of the best surprises” he’s ever had.
“When I saw him, I had to pause a couple of seconds to keep my composure,” Sowers told The News Tribune.
“It was a wonderful way to leave the bureau,”
“To actually see the good he is doing and to meet him on my last day in the office.”
”I’m extremely proud of him,’ Sowers said. ‘I’m glad [to see] what you’ve done with your life. Pass it on.”
”I mean I’m proud of anybody who serves others above themselves.”
”The fact that he is willing to serve this country in the United States Marine Corps, I think, is just a perfect example of what we expect of everybody.”
”To end, seeing him again, it really just puts the final touch to a career.”
”I’m completely surprised they pulled this off, I did not know it all.”
”I wanted something very simple, I asked for coffee and doughnuts and they shocked me.”
”All of this wouldn’t have happened if you wouldn’t have found me,” Rembert told Sowers. “I wanted to thank you for giving me the opportunity of a life.”