Girl, 9, Safe After Being Kidnapped From Home

A 9-year-old girl was kidnapped from her home and held for 28 hours before a ransom was paid and she was released unharmed.

Six people were held for questioning and the money was recovered, authorities said.

The girl, whose name was being withheld, was kidnapped at gunpoint about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday from her Brunswick Avenue home in South Pasadena.

Three armed men tied up two of the child’s grandparents and a housekeeper before taking the girl. There were also two young cousins in the house at the time.

Police Chief Michael Berkow said the kidnappers later called the house many times and demanded ransom from the parents.

Authorities were contacted and an investigation began involving local police departments, the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Family members paid the ransom in nearby Monterey Park, and the girl was released at a McDonald’s restaurant in Rosemead.

“Santa Claus came early,” FBI Special Agent John Hoos said. “Everyone came in OK.”

The girl was frightened but otherwise unhurt.

“She is delighted to be home,” Berkow said. “She’s a little girl, she’s been terrified, but she is in great shape and she’s happy to be with her family.”