LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Authorities sought the public's help Friday to find a woman and her 16-month-old son, whom she has been charged with kidnapping from his foster parent in Los Angeles County, possibly fleeing with him to Mexico.
"The FBI is seeking the whereabouts of Brigette Benitez, 31, and her biological child, Miguel Eduardo Zuniga Medina Jr.," Laura Eimiller of the FBI said in a statement.
"Benitez, who does not have custody of Medina Jr., is believed to have taken him to Mexico after failing to return him to the foster parent where he had been placed by the (Los Angeles County) Department of Children and Family Services," Eimiller said.
"Benitez may have taken Medina Jr. to Aguascalientes, Mexico, after failing to return him to his legal guardian following an unsupervised visit that occurred on February 6 in Walnut, California," Eimiller said.
Benitez and her son were last seen in a black 2021 Toyota Camry with California license plate number 8WAS968, Eimiller said.
A federal arrest warrant for Benitez was obtained Thursday after she was charged with international parental kidnapping in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Eimiller said.
The complaint alleges that Benitez intentionally obstructed the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, which "holds legal and physical custody of Medina Jr.," Eimiller said.
"Miguel Eduardo Zuniga Medina Sr. is the non-custodial father of Medina Jr. and is believed to be living in Aguascalientes, Mexico," Eimiller said.
"Medina Sr. was arrested last year for an alleged domestic violence incident and has a history of engaging in violent altercations in the presence of children, according to a Juvenile Dependency Petition filed in Los Angeles County," Eimiller said.
"Following last year's arrest, Medina Jr. was placed in the custody of DCFS," Eimiller said. "The Superior Court in Los Angeles County found that it was necessary to remove Medina Jr. from his parents for his own health, safety, and well-being. Benitez and Medina Sr. have also been charged in Superior Court in Los Angeles County.
"Investigators have established that Benitez crossed into Mexico on February 6 at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego County," Eimiller said.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the United States Marshals Service. The United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles is prosecuting Benitez.
Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Benitez or her son was asked to call their local FBI office or nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Information may also be provided at www.tips.fbi.gov.