How to Stop a Father From Being Able to Get Custody or Visitation

My question involves a child custody case from the State of: Ohio.
When I was 3 month pregnant the father of my child moved out of state. I have no idea where he lives, I have no way of finding him or contacting him. My son is now 4 months old. I've managed to contact the father once, he has no intentions of being a father but refused to sign over his rights. I'm not sure what the best course of action is. He's not on the birth certificate nor has there been a DNA test. I want to make sure he can't come around years from now and cause hurt and confusion to my son. Any advice on what to do?

Sorry, you're left with only one option.

Get married, stay married, and get a stepparent adoption.

Option 2 is to find the guy and serve him with a paternity suit. :)

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Quoting mmmagique

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Option 2 is to find the guy and serve him with a paternity suit. :)

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Which, if the father requests, will result in his getting visitation. As it stands, the father has no legal rights -- and that's the way mom wants it.

I don't want him to have the ability to bounce in and out of my sons life, he's done some really awful things. So I'm not too upset he took off, he's not a good person and I know he won't be a good dad. He's made It obvious he doesn't plan on it. Can I file abandonment papers or something to prevent him from filing for rights in the future?

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Quoting Ajeann

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I don't want him to have the ability to bounce in and out of my sons life, he's done some really awful things. So I'm not too upset he took off, he's not a good person and I know he won't be a good dad. He's made It obvious he doesn't plan on it. Can I file abandonment papers or something to prevent him from filing for rights in the future?

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Short answer: No.

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Quoting Ajeann

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I don't want him to have the ability to bounce in and out of my sons life, he's done some really awful things. So I'm not too upset he took off, he's not a good person and I know he won't be a good dad. He's made It obvious he doesn't plan on it. Can I file abandonment papers or something to prevent him from filing for rights in the future?

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No, you really cannot do that and you would simply be poking a sleeping bear. I realize that you are afraid that he will show up later on down the road, but right now he is not even the child's legal father, and anything that you would do now would end up making him your child's legal father.

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Quoting Ajeann

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I don't want him to have the ability to bounce in and out of my sons life, he's done some really awful things. So I'm not too upset he took off, he's not a good person and I know he won't be a good dad. He's made It obvious he doesn't plan on it. Can I file abandonment papers or something to prevent him from filing for rights in the future?

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Longer answer:

It's no longer your choice. He hasn't abandoned anything or anyone; he can pop back into your life in 5 years time and he'll get visitation if he petitions for it.

End of story.

However, the longer dad waits the more hoops he will need to jump through.

Am I missing something here? OP said his name wasn't on the birth certificate and there wasn't a DNA test. Legally, he wouldn't have any rights to sign over. Why couldn't you just move, change your phone number, and never contact him again? He doesn't sound very ambitious either way, so you could probably just never contact him again. Theoretically, he could pop back into your life at some point, file some kind of motion to demand a paternity test, and possibly get some visitation.

Or are you trying to get some support out of him?