LOCAL : Van Nuys Boy Found in Tijuana; Kidnaping Suspect Questioned

A 3-year-old Van Nuys boy who was reported missing Thursday was found unharmed this morning in Tijuana, and a suspect in the abduction was being questioned by authorities there, Los Angeles police said.

Hector Vasquez was reported missing at 8 p.m. but may have been abducted from the front of his home in the 14700 block of Delano Street as early as 11 a.m., police said. The report was delayed because the boy’s mother and other relatives each mistakenly believed that he was in one or the other’s care, police said.

Lt. Dennis Dunn said an unidentified person told police that the boy was taken to Tijuana. Two detectives drove to the Mexican border city and with help from local authorities found the boy unharmed at the airport. A woman who was with the boy was taken into custody, Dunn said.

Details on why the boy was taken and the suspect’s name and relationship to the boy were unavailable, but Dunn called the case a kidnaping. He said the boy was driven from Los Angeles to Tijuana; it was unknown whether he was taken to the airport to be flown elsewhere.

The woman in custody is a Mexican citizen, and it was unclear if authorities there would release her to Los Angeles detectives. Police here were also making arrangements for the boy to be reunited with his family.