Abducted Baby Boy Is Found Unharmed

A 13-month-old Victorville boy allegedly abducted by a woman in Cucamonga was found unharmed in a hotel room Monday after authorities issued an Amber alert.

Edward Castillo was found in a room at the Shrene Hotel in San Bernardino, said Chip Patterson, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

“We fed him and made sure he had fresh milk,” Patterson said. “He appeared to be cared for, to some extent.”

Police arrested Valerie Delara, 38, on suspicion of child abduction and grand theft auto, Patterson said.

Jesse Munoz, 41, who is on probation, was arrested with her on narcotics violations, police said.

The boy was placed in child protective services because his father, Manuel Castillo, who reported the abduction, also was arrested on an outstanding warrant charging narcotics possession, Patterson said.

The incident began about 4 p.m. Sunday at a house in the 9300 block of Majesty Drive in Cucamonga, where Delara and Manuel Castillo were visiting, authorities said.

Castillo called authorities about 1 a.m. Monday and reported that Delara had stolen his Pontiac van while the boy was inside Sunday afternoon.

Investigators had not established why Castillo waited several hours to report the crime, Patterson said.

But the Sheriff’s Department immediately issued an Amber alert.

About 8:30 a.m., a California Highway Patrol officer spotted the van outside the motel, and officers found the suspects and the child in the room.

Officers also found a “quantity of suspected methamphetamine” in the room, Patterson said.