Abducted Minor Recovered by U.S. Marshals in Puerto Rico

San Juan, PR – On October 10, the U.S. Marshals Service Puerto Rico Violent Offenders Task Force (PRVOTF), acting on a lead from the District of Connecticut, successfully recovered an abducted minor.

On the same day, PRVOTF members received a request for assistance from the District of Hartford, Connecticut, regarding a young child who had been kidnapped by the biological mother. The mother exposed the child to dangerous altercations with the biological father. For safety reasons, the child was relocated. The mother was subsequently arrested for risk of injury to a minor and reckless endangerment (2nd degree). She had fled to Puerto Rico and appeared in court in Connecticut on September 27 without the minor, leading to her arrest for kidnapping and custodial interference charges.

According to the investigation, the child was residing in Puerto Rico with the mother’s boyfriend. Following an extensive investigation, PRVOTF members located and positively identified the minor in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The child was safely recovered and appeared to be healthy. The Puerto Rico Department of Family Services responded, and after conducting interviews and gathering information, they took custody of the child to arrange for their return to the biological father.

“This significant arrest is another example of the results we can obtain from a coordinated collaboration with state agencies and demonstrates the commitment of the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service to bring these fugitives to justice,” said U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra. “All our cases are important, but those against children are of the upmost priority for our personnel. We will continue to be vigilant against any criminal who evades justice and tries to hide so as not to assume his or her responsibility. Our commitment to our citizens comes first and we will allocate all necessary resources to make our communities safe, maintaining a quality of life that we all deserve in Puerto Rico.”

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) encourages the community to continue to collaborate with our deputies on tips that help find the whereabouts of a fugitive by contacting our local office at (787) 766-6297, calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communication Center at 1 (800) 336-0102, or submitting tips using the USMS Tips App.