A pair of illegal immigrants and another man kidnapped a terrified mother and her infant daughter in North Carolina Monday after the family refused to pony up $1 million, authorities said.
Paola Duran Duran, 25, her brother Miguel Angel Duran Duran, 23, and Eleodoro “Leo” Estrada-Hernandez, 37, are accused of taking the pair at gunpoint before freeing them.
Mom and daughter later turned up at a stranger’s door looking for help.
“The Garner Police Department is thankful these victims were recovered “safely” the police said in a statement.
“We appreciate the support of our community as we work tirelessly to arrest the suspects responsible and uncover the motive behind this crime.”
While the siblings were arrested Wednesday, the third suspect, Estrada-Hernandez, remains on the loose and the subject of a $10,000 reward for his capture.
The two busted suspects were illegally in the United States were facing ICE holds, according to local reports. The status of the man still being sought was still not clear.
The harrowing abduction began Monday night when the masked trio armed with guns allegedly shouldered their way into the home of Eliuth Alejandro Martinez, demanding money, according to police.
Police said that the victims claimed to investigators that the kidnappers wanted $1 million, but Martinez refused to pay.
The kidnappers then allegedly wrapped him with duct tape and fled with his wife, Alondra Michelle Benitez De Jesus, 26, and the couple’s 11-month-old daughter, Grecia Salome Alejandro-Benitez, in a black Nissan Altima.
“Investigators quickly uncovered evidence and began to follow multiple leads to locate the victims,” according to a press release from the Garner County Police Department.
The kidnappers let the mother and daughter go and the two ran to a woman’s home, frantically knocking on her door early Tuesday morning looking for help, police said.
The homeowner called 911, and police arrived to collect them.
The Duran Duran siblings were tracked down less than 24 hours after the harrowing abduction and arrested during a joint investigation between local police, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.
The pair was charged with multiple counts of kidnapping.
The FBI said investigators are still looking for Estrada-Hernandez, who is charged with multiple counts, including kidnapping and assault.
Hernandez is described as five-foot-four and weighs approximately 190 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes with multiple tattoos on his forearm.
Anyone with information on Hernandez, can call the Garner Police Department Crime Stoppers at 919-834-4357 or 1-800-CALL FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
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