Father of girl kidnapped by fugitive mom sends message to daughter: 'You were never allowed to know me'

Michael Butcher tells Nancy Grace 11-year-old McKenna was abducted ahead of family court hearing

The premiere of Fox Nation's "America’s Most Wanted Overtime" features never-before-seen interviews in connection with the case of Jennifer Lea Settle, who allegedly abducted her daughter, McKenna Butcher, in April 2019 after the girl's father, Michael Butcher, was awarded full custody.

Butcher told Fox Nation host Nancy Grace that 11-year-old McKenna was abducted just as he and Settle were due to appear in family court over a visitation dispute.

"Her mother was nowhere to be seen, and it became evident that she'd thought she'd taken flight with my daughter during this time," he said.

Butcher has had "absolutely no" contact with his daughter in the two years since her disappearance, he told Grace.

"Her mother told her [and] the rest of the family over a period of years, that if I ever came and tried to find out where she was, that she would disappear and nobody would hear from them again," he explained. "So she'd have [had] this plan probably for several years."

When asked what he would tell McKenna, now 13, if he had the opportunity, Butcher said he would try to communicate that "you have been actually led to believe that your father is not the person that you believe him to be.

"I've always tried to have a relationship with you. You need a father," he said. "You have a loving father and always have had a loving father. It's just that you were never allowed to know me."

"Mr. Butcher, your words are going straight to my heart," an emotional Grace responded.

"I have always considered my dad to be my real soulmate and being away from him is very difficult," she added. "I want your daughter, McKenna, to know you and to know that you love her."

A new episode of "America's Most Wanted Overtime" will be available on Fox Nation every Monday starting at 10 p.m. ET following the airing of "America's Most Wanted" exclusively on FOX.

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