Rolla Taha with her two sons.

NORTHVILLE — In June, Rolla Taha traveled to Lebanon with her husband and two boys for what was supposed to be a 17-day vacation. Instead, she endured a four month long nightmare as a result of her husband’s betrayal—he kidnapped their children and left her stranded.

Rolla, now back in the U.S, is working with U.S. law enforcement and government officials to get her sons, Hussein Manuel Taha, 8, and Hassan Manuel Taha, 6, back home. 

Rolla recently filed for divorce from her husband, Dr. Manuel Taha, a  radiologist and medical director. He has also been charged with international kidnapping.

The couple had been married for nine years and resided in Northville and Canton. She was awarded sole custody of her children and ownership of two properties with no assets.

But those court orders don’t appear to bring any sort of immediate resolution for her. 

Manuel Taha remains in hiding with their two boys in Lebanon. According to Rolla, his sister is a doctor at a local hospital here and is assisting him.

The couple first met at Henry Ford Hospital in 2007, when Rolla’s father was a patient and Manuel was a radiologist. Within months, they had gotten engaged and married. 

While Manuel was busy at work, Rolla studied psychology. Later, she would dedicate much of her attention to raising their children. 

The family agreed to travel to Lebanon last year to spend at least six months there.

However, Rolla claimed that during her first trip to Lebanon, Manuel stole their passports and hid them from her. 

Behind her back, he returned to the U.S., leaving her in Lebanon with the children. Rolla said this incident marked the first time he had deceived her.

“We were very happy,” she said. “But his family played with his mind. They had an argument about spending. He returned to the U.S., stayed 40 days and went to his friends and took out two illegal mortgages as a single man and wired the money to Lebanon. That was a red flag for me.”

Because they were U.S. citizens, Rolla made arrangements with the U.S. Embassy to obtain temporary passports in order to leave Lebanon with her two children. They returned to Michigan at the beginning of this year.

Rolla discovered that her husband wasn’t being truthful about several components of their lives. She discovered that he made more money than he had told her, after obtaining documents showing that he had wired millions to his family in Lebanon. She also found a dating app on his cell phone, which led her to believe he was cheating on her.

But she said she decided to give her marriage a second chance for the sake of her children, who were pleading with her to “stay with baba.”

Her husband made a “religious oath” that he would do everything possible to keep her and the kids happy. They agreed to return to Lebanon this summer for a 17-day trip.

“I went down the second time because I wanted to compromise in this marriage and build a trust that was broken,” Rolla said. “I really tried to salvage this marriage and make it work. I didn’t expect him to do this because he’s a professional and he’s educated and had a lot to lose.”

As it turned out, Manuel would be pulling off his biggest ploy yet. 

Thirteen days into their second Lebanon trip, the couple broke fast together as they had done every night during the month of Ramadan. She went to a neighbor’s house to have a cup of coffee. But when she returned, Manuel and the children were gone.

Rolla said the incident blindsided her.

“I came back and he was missing and my children were missing,” Rolla said. “He took our clothes, suitcases and disappeared. I went to my in-laws for help and they completely disregarded me. I had absolutely no family there.”

Manuel shut off the electricity and water at the home they were staying in. Rolla was left with no cell phone, no car and no money.

When she attempted to leave Lebanon, she was informed she had been placed under a travel ban. She was ordered to see a judge— one who kept delaying her court dates.

With borrowed money from neighbors and friends, Rolla was able to hire an attorney and file kidnapping charges against her husband. 

After weeks of silence, Manuel finally reached out to her via email, stating that she would never see her children again if she didn’t drop the charges.

After four months in Lebanon and no progress in her case, Rolla was finally able to return to the U.S. 

When she returned to Michigan, she immediately filed international kidnapping charges against her husband. His employers terminated him, citing a breach of contract.

Rolla said she hasn’t had access to any of her husband’s finances other than their two homes. But she’s not concerned about money; she continues to worry about the wellbeing of her children, who she hasn’t seen or spoken to in more than four months.

“I was their primary caretaker,” she said. “My youngest son would sleep next to me from when he was born until now. They don’t like Lebanon; it’s very dangerous and unstable. I’m worried about them being brainwashed.”

She’s since reached out to U..S. Rep Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and is also working with the FBI’s international kidnapping division.

“My goal is to bring awareness and do everything possible to bring my kids back,” Rolla said. “I don’t want to hurt my husband, I don’t want his money. I just want my kids back.”