Abducted boy found unharmed
A 4-year-old boy who authorities say was kidnapped by his mother in Altadena and taken to Las Vegas after she and another woman fatally shot his uncle was found unharmed Tuesday.
Vanessa Ochoa, 22, the boy’s mother, and Mesha Arshaz Dean, 25, a companion, were found with Ochoa’s son, Manaen Miles, in a car driven by an unidentified man about 12:30 p.m., said Las Vegas Metro Police Det. Jose Montoya. The two women were arrested on suspicion of killing Monroe Miles Jr., 32, the boy’s paternal uncle.
The 4-year-old has been placed in protective custody.
Ochoa and Dean were arrested without incident, and no weapon was found in the car, Montoya said.
The driver was interviewed, found to have no involvement with the crimes and was released.
According to police, Monroe Miles Jr. was shot Sunday afternoon at a home on Canyon Dell Drive in Altadena where he was caring for the boy; he was pronounced dead at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.
Ochoa, who did not have legal custody of Manaen, then abducted him, authorities said, prompting an Amber Alert for the boy throughout California and Nevada.
The four-door silver Mitsubishi Diamante described in the alert was located in a neighborhood in northwest Las Vegas through a combination of information from Los Angeles County investigators and tips from the community, Montoya said.
Los Angeles County investigators were in Las Vegas interviewing the two women late Tuesday, said Las Vegas Police Lt. Ted Lee.
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.
