Police have found a 13-year-old Hollister girl who was allegedly
kidnapped by her father Tuesday, initiating an Amber Alert in San
Benito County.
Police have found a 13-year-old Hollister girl who was allegedly kidnapped by her father Tuesday, initiating an area Amber Alert.
At about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, a witness in the San Bernardino County area reported a vehicle and suspect fit the description in the Amber Alert case and called the California Highway Patrol to report it, according to a statement from the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators alleged the victim had been kidnapped by her father, Marcelino Ramirez, who was driving a 1997 Honda Odyssey van. The witness reported seeing them on southbound Interstate 15 north of I-215.
The CHP initiated a traffic stop without incident and confirmed it was Ramirez, according to the sheriff’s office. The girl was asleep in the back of the van, and officers arrested her father.
According to the CHP, Ramirez had a large amount of money in his wallet and a suitcase with all of his and the girl’s clothing. The girl was not injured.
The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a follow-up investigation with the San Bernardino California Highway Patrol.
Amber Alerts are issued via electronic billboards, text message, phone calls and online to alert the public of the most serious child abduction cases. The program is a partnership between law enforcement agencies, media, transportation agencies and others to quickly notify a community to help find an abducted child.
