According to a federal complaint submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, a California teenager was found four days after being abducted by a group that sought a $500,000 ransom from his family.
After colliding with his captors’ car in a circumstance they staged, the 17-year-old was taken hostage on September 18 according to authorities. Two males allegedly forced the teenager into their silver Jeep Grand Cherokee after he exited his car and grabbed him.
That afternoon, the teen’s mother allegedly received a call requesting she send a $500,000 ransom to Nogales, Mexico, in exchange for her son’s freedom. They also provided a video of her son appearing to read from a script, claiming that the kidnapping was the father’s fault because of an incident that occurred in Yonkers, New York when the father is alleged to have stolen something.
Regarding the father’s claimed involvement in the kidnapping, there is no information in the complaint.
Over the following few days, the mother got calls from various numbers, and the suspected abductors demanded the ransom and threatened to cut off the victim’s body parts if it wasn’t paid, according to officials. A speaker reduced the ransom to $100,000 in a single phone call.
By examining a Facebook marketplace post that featured the silver Jeep the kidnappers were driving for sale and ring camera footage of the kidnapping, investigators were able to follow the suspects to a motel in Santa Maria, according to the report.
Authorities claimed that when investigators carried out a search order on a motel room on Friday morning, they discovered the victim and three suspects. The allegation states that the 17-year-old was lying on the floor in a hotel room corner.
There was a switchblade and a loaded 9mm handgun in the room.
Fidel Jess Patino Jaimes, 22, Jair Tomás Ramos Dominguez, 26, and Ezequiel Felix Lopez, 27, were named as the suspects. The lawsuit states that each of them was detained and charged with kidnapping.
Few things are as terrifying to a parent as having their child kidnapped and held against their will under the fear of physical abuse, according to U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. We worked immediately to free the victim and bring the kidnappers to jail, working with the FBI and our local law enforcement allies.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the family never paid the ransom.
On Monday afternoon, the suspects are scheduled to appear in court.