PHOENIX — A man was extradited from Mexico City and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on Friday, six years after he allegedly kidnapped his two noncustodial children in Arizona during a supervised visit.
Luis Alberto Herrera-Ramirez and his wife, Andrea Vanessa Ramirez, were arrested on April 5, 2024, in Aguascalientes, Mexico but remained in custody in Mexico while a legal review in both the United States and Mexico took place until Herrera-Ramirez’s extradition. His wife is still in Mexico awaiting her extradition.
Herrera-Ramirez was charged with three counts of kidnapping, multiple counts of molestation of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, child abuse with a firearm and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
“Bringing Herrera-Ramirez back to Arizona marks an important milestone in our pursuit of justice,” acting U.S. marshal Van Bayless said in a press release. “This extradition, achieved through years of coordination across jurisdictions, ensures that his alleged crimes against these innocent children and the public official will be addressed in our courts.”
History of extradited man
The pair fled the United States in May 2018 after allegedly tasing and duct-taping a case aide to a tree during a supervised visit. The couple subsequently abducted their two young children, 5-year-old Luis Ramirez Jr. and 6-month-old Kahmila Ramirez, and drove away in a greenish-teal 1996 Toyota Camry four-door sedan.
A good Samaritan later found the employee, untied her and called 911.
During the time of a visit in Tucson, the parents were on bond after being indicted on 20 counts of sexual exploitation of a child that was not theirs.
The children were safely recovered and taken back to Arizona to return to the Department of Child Safety, authorities said.
After a multi-year investigation where Mexican and American federal authorities worked in tandem, the parents were located and arrested in Mexico.
“We are incredibly grateful to all the law enforcement partners involved in this case, especially the U.S. Marshals Service, for their unwavering commitment to this case since 2018,” Tucson Police Department Chief Chad Kasmar said in a press release. “Their persistence has brought us to this next step in the judicial process. The extradition of Luis Herrera-Ramirez brings us one step closer to accountability and, most importantly, to closure and healing for the children so deeply impacted by these horrific crimes.”
The post Man extradited to Arizona to face charges 6 years after allegedly abducting children appeared first on KTAR.
