SAN FRANCISCO— A woman who was kidnapped in Mexico last year has been found, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
San Mateo resident Monica de Leon Barba was freed by her captors on July 14, the FBI said.
On November 29, 2022, she was kidnapped in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico, while returning from work with her dog, the FBI said.
Barba had grown up and lived most of her life in California before moving to Mexico for a job opportunity in photography.
The FBI said she was safe and would return to her family in the United States.
“Over the past eight months, FBI personnel in California and Mexico have worked tirelessly with family and with partners here and in Mexico,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp of the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office. Francis. “Our relief and joy at the safe return of Monica and Gael runs deep. The FBI investigation is far from over, but we can now work on this case knowing that an innocent victim has been reunited with his family. On behalf of the FBI, I want to express my sincere thanks to our law enforcement partners, the family and the community of San Mateo for their continued commitment and advocacy, they never forgot Monica, and neither do we.
No arrests have been made as authorities continue to search for the suspects.
Meanwhile, a Southern California family continues to search for their mother who was also kidnapped in Mexico.
Maria Del Carmen Lopez, 63, was abducted from her Mexican home in February.
His family continues to raise awareness of his disappearance.
Her daughter, Zonia Lopez, said news of Barba’s discovery in Mexico also gave her family hope for her own mother.
The FBI is also working on Lopez’s case.
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