On February 17, 2017, Kinga Costiniuc, a 31-year-old woman, was reported missing from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, along with her one-year-old son, Robert Kovacs. What initially appeared to be the disappearance of a mother and her young child developed into an international missing-person investigation involving Canada and Romania. According to information published by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Robert was last seen in Toronto in February 2017 before his mother took him from Canada to Romania. Kinga, who also uses the surname Kovacs, was subsequently listed as missing alongside her son. The circumstances surrounding their departure raised concerns about Robert's whereabouts and whether he would be returned to Canada.
Although authorities identified Romania as the country to which Kinga had taken her child, their subsequent whereabouts and circumstances remained unresolved in the publicly available Canadian missing-person records.
Kinga was born in 1986 and was described as a white woman with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a height of approximately 5 feet 6 inches, or 168 centimeters. Her son, Robert, was born in 2016 and was described as having brown hair and gray eyes. Both mother and son were known by the surnames Kovacs and Costiniuc, an important identifying detail because either name could appear in documents or information relating to their whereabouts. The RCMP's official record identifies February 17, 2017, as the missing date for both individuals, although some independently published case summaries have provided different dates. The Canadian authorities' account establishes that Robert was taken to Romania by his mother, but it does not publicly explain the circumstances of their travel, their intended destination within the country, or the specific arrangements surrounding their departure. For those attempting to establish what happened, the limited information left significant unanswered questions about where mother and son went after leaving Toronto and whether Robert remained in his mother's care.
As the situation attracted attention in 2017, additional accounts emerged describing a custody dispute involving Robert's father and his efforts to secure the child's return. Reports published that summer described legal disagreements concerning parental rights and efforts to address the matter through authorities in both Canada and Romania. Some missing-child case summaries characterized Robert's removal from Canada as a parental abduction and reported that a Canada-wide arrest warrant had been issued for Kinga. However, the publicly available RCMP missing-person profile does not provide details of criminal charges, convictions, or a final judicial resolution. The distinction is important because the existence of a custody dispute or reported warrant does not establish the ultimate outcome of the investigation. Although the accounts suggested that the child's whereabouts had become the subject of international attention, publicly accessible information did not establish that Robert had been returned to Canada or that the matter had been resolved. The case continued to present two closely connected concerns: determining Kinga's whereabouts and establishing Robert's location and well-being.
The passage of time has made the circumstances surrounding the disappearance especially concerning. Robert was only an infant when he left Canada, meaning that much of his early childhood and subsequent development would have taken place outside the view of the Canadian investigation if he remained abroad. Kinga's whereabouts are equally important to understanding how the situation unfolded. Although Romania was identified as the destination, that information alone does not establish where either individual subsequently lived or whether they later traveled elsewhere. No verified public update located during the review confirmed that both individuals had been found, that Robert had been returned, or that the Canadian investigation had concluded. As of September 18, 2026, the RCMP's national missing-person case record continued to identify Kinga and Robert as missing, with the Toronto Police Service listed as the investigating agency.
The investigation remains associated with RCMP case reference 2017043661 and Toronto Police Service reference 2017-1342539.D51. Authorities have requested that anyone possessing information about Kinga Costiniuc or Robert Kovacs contact the Toronto Police Service Missing Persons Unit at 416-808-7411 or by email at missingpersons\@torontopolice.on.ca. Information may also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Even seemingly minor details concerning their movements, identities, or possible whereabouts could help investigators clarify what happened after their departure from Canada. At its heart, the disappearance of Kinga Costiniuc and her son Robert Kovacs is an international missing-person case that began in Toronto in February 2017 and became intertwined with questions of parental custody, international travel, and the welfare of a very young child. Despite the passage of years, the publicly available official record has not provided a confirmed resolution, leaving the central questions of their current whereabouts and circumstances unanswered.Last Seen: Feb 17, 2017
