Kidnapped Boy Is Seen in Riverside

A 10-year-old boy kidnapped by his mother in Baltimore had been attending school in Riverside, but the pair are believed to be on the run after being profiled on “America’s Most Wanted” on Saturday, police said Tuesday.

Police say Rayon Kirkland Gray was kidnapped by his mother on Oct. 18 after his father dropped him off at her house for a two-hour visit. Gray’s father had custody because the mother, Margarita Peterson, had abducted the boy in 1996 and kept him for two years before being arrested, according to “America’s Most Wanted.” During the earlier kidnapping, the pair lived in shelters in Florida and Texas.

The show’s tip line received a call after the episode aired. The tipster said he saw Gray on Friday at Longfellow Elementary School in Riverside. Police checked the school Monday and Tuesday morning, but the boy was absent.

“This kid had pretty good attendance at school up until this aired on ‘America’s Most Wanted,’ and [since then], he hasn’t been at school,” said Felix Medina, police spokesman. “Our concern is that they are on the run again.”

It’s unclear how long Peterson and Gray have been in Riverside, though Peterson did have her picture taken at the Riverside office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles in April.

Police believe they may still be in the area.

Gray is black, 4 feet 7, weighs 82 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes, and has a scar on the right side of his forehead.

Police say Peterson has a history of violence. She is described as black, 5 feet 2, 137 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.