SAN JOSE, California (KGO) – San Jose police have revealed the names of the three suspects arrested for the abduction of 3-month-old Brandon Cuelar. They have been identified as Jose Roman Portillo, 28, Jesse Guadalupe Ramirez, 43, and Baldomeo Sandoval, 37, all San Jose residents.
Sergeant Christian Camarillo told a news conference Wednesday morning that one of the suspects, Jessenia Ramirez, was a family friend. He says she was the man who accompanied Cuelar’s grandmother on Monday. Authorities believe Ramirez was in contact with one of the other suspects before the abduction.
During the investigation, detectives learned that before the abduction, the suspect Ramirez had placed orders with the victim and the victim’s grandmother. As Ramirez’s statement changed several times, detectives detained her as a person of interest.
According to police, the investigation revealed that the suspect who entered the San Jose residence and abducted Brandon, seen in a video of a baby carriage surveillance, was Portilo. Sergeant on Wednesday. Camarillo said the video, shown earlier, was before the abduction.
Sandoval was identified as another suspect and was also questioned. Based on their testimony and evidence obtained during the investigation, detectives arrested Ramirez and Sandoval.
Suspects responsible for kidnapping baby Brandon.
Click on the link to the press release for more information: https://t.co/qFo2uwMphQ
Incredible dedication and work done by patrol officers, investigators, special operations, secret services and the FBI.
We got them. pic.twitter.com/AJhrcMvTnV
– Media Relations of the San Jose Police (@SJPD_PIO) April 27, 2022
Baby Brandon was found safe Tuesday morning after a 20-hour search that ended miles from where he was taken.
The baby’s grandmother told police she was unloading groceries when the baby was taken from the apartment on Elm Street.
The mass search involves the FBI.
Sergeant Camarillo says “there is a human component to this incident. Mom is very traumatized right now. She needs her space.”
He said the motive was still under investigation.
This is current news. See an earlier version of our report below.
Three-month-old Brandon Cuelar was found Tuesday morning, nearly 24 hours after San Jose police said he had been taken from his grandmother’s home.
Police were looking for a man seen in the surveillance video, a signal that finally brought Brandon home.
It was shortly after 1pm on Monday when baby Brandon Cuelar was reported missing.
His grandmother told police she was unloading groceries with the 3-month-old at the house.
Asking the public for help Monday night, police released surveillance footage showing a man with a baby basket walking casually down Elm Street. And in exclusive footage shared with ABC7 News, time stamps reveal the same man and then leave just five minutes later.
“That’s when I thought it was the man,” said neighbor Mark Ars.
The Ars surveillance camera gave us the only view of the abduction, which is essential to the police investigation.
“You can just tell when he was walking to the house or the apartment, it was light,” Arce said. “And when she made him come back, there seemed to be some weight there.”
The abduction led to a massive search for the baby, which involved the FBI.
Three suspects are now in custody with some connection to the family, but police did not specify.
“There’s still a lot for detectives to do,” he said. The police chief told reporters on Tuesday. “So I would not like to give any information that could impede this investigation.”
Largely thanks to a nursing home employee whose facility is just across the street from the home where Brandon was found.
“One of my employees who works here felt a little suspicious and saw something out of the ordinary,” said Chris Martinez, the facility’s chief operating officer. His employee wished to remain anonymous and declined to speak to reporters.
What he saw was a van, a silver 2011 Nissan Quest with a distinct rear window sticker.
At around 4:50 a.m., the California Highway Patrol posted a photo, description, and registration number of the van on Twitter.
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The tweet was later deleted, with San Jose police telling ABC7 News they could not confirm the CHP.
It is not yet known why the two agencies had a breakdown in communication.
But the tweet was long enough for the vehicle information to come out, and it made the employee notice the van.
Martinez was there just after this officer called the police and witnessed what happened.
“She (she) saw that something was out of place. “She saw the vehicle, she called the San Jose police,” Martinez said. “Eventually the San Jose Police Department showed up and they went straight and they blocked the car in front and behind and went to the house of the alleged suspect and at that moment they went and broke into the house.”
Maria Alvarado, who herself has a 3-month-old child, says she lives just below the house that police raided.
She said in Spanish that she was shocked to hear so much commotion outside the home and the police. In disbelief that the missing 3-month-old baby is so close.
On Monday morning, at least five police officers in vests said the San Jose police unit had been spotted carrying evidence from the home.
Police did not specify why the special team was there.
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They say one of the three suspects in custody includes the man seen in the video. A woman who was with the child’s grandmother before he was abducted was also detained.
Police say the initial investigation showed a connection between the family and the suspects.
They say the investigation into what happened and how the baby spent the last 20 hours continues.
Elm Street College Park essentially stalled Monday night after investigators and police left the apartment where 3-month-old Brandon was abducted.
On Tuesday morning, neighbors woke up to much-needed good news that young Brandon was found safe.
“As soon as I heard that the baby was found, I just cried,” said neighbor Stephanie.
“We were up all night talking about how it happened, we refreshed Twitter, everything?” said neighbor Cassandra Ramirez. “So this morning I was just turning on the news, and that was good news. I shuddered to talk about it. Just relieved and certainly full of a lot of emotions and happiness.
Knowing that it was so easy to kidnap, the child was afraid of his neighbor Stephanie, a neighbor who did not want to be shown on camera.
“When we found out it was a kidnapping of a 3-month-old, I just couldn’t imagine,” Stephanie said. “My heart was syncing, I was anxious. I just couldn’t get away from it. I went to dinner, I still couldn’t get away from it because I was missing a baby.”
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From sadness and fear to excitement and relief, as the neighbors were very happy to hear that the baby was returning to his family.
“Super relieved for the mother,” said neighbor Leandra Durand. “It’s scary, but I’m glad he was found safe for a short time.”
“Good home, baby Brandon,” Ramirez said.
Other neighbors are still trying to make sense of the abduction, which they say seems targeted.
“When they said a baby had been taken, it was very difficult for me. Because I have many grandchildren and many great-grandchildren,” said a neighbor of the family downstairs, who asked to be identified only as Elva.
She added that every aspect of the case made her emotional.
“Who could come into your home with a small crib to take this child out?” Elva asked, “Who could be so brave? Who could be so ugly?
Baby Brandon is now safe with his family, who told police they wanted their privacy, and is not speaking at this time.
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