2 Children Missing After Driver Flees
A suspected illegal alien smuggler is being sought in connection with the alleged kidnaping of two Mexican children, Carlsbad police reported.
The child’s mother, Maria Elena Santana Garcia, 28, of Mexicali, Mexico, told police that the woman drove away with her two children Saturday from a Jack In The Box fast-food restaurant at 945 Elm Ave.
The driver, a suspected smuggler, was taking Garcia and her three children to the San Fernando Valley area, police said. The family of four had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally Friday, police said.
Late Saturday afternoon, police said, the smuggler, driving a pickup truck, stopped at the restaurant in Carlsbad, where Garcia got out with her 3-year-old son, Sair Salomon Santana. Garcia, who had been instructed by the smuggler to wait, then saw the pickup drive off, according to her statements to police.
The missing children were identified as Jennifer Salomon Santana, 8, and her brother, Sergio Salomon Santana, 6.
Police described the pickup driver as a heavy-set female, about 25 years old, wearing black slacks and a pinkish T-shirt.
Her vehicle was said to be a blue Toyota pickup.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
