Calif. Mom Begs for Snatched Tot's Return

Cops stumped for motive by gunmen who invaded San Bernardino

(NEWSER) - A 3-year-old boy was abducted from his California home yesterday after two gunmen bound his mother and four siblings, reports AP. "We have no idea why they took the child," said a police spokesman. "They were strangers to the whole family." The gunmen burst into the San Bernardino house yesterday, subdued the family, ransacked the home, and stole money and property, said police, who have issued an Amber Alert for Briant Rodriquez. More»

Stockholm syndrome turned victim into abductor's defender

(NEWSER) - Kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard lied to a suspicious parole officer in a desperate bid to protect her abductor when she was discovered, according to just-released report of her questioning. Jaycee, kidnapped when she was 11 in her northern California town, called herself Alyssa and presented herself as Phillip Garrido's wife. She laughingly explained that she was often mistaken as someone young enough to be the sister of her daughters, fathered by Garrido. More»

Area cops looking to demolish home in search for evidence

(NEWSER) - Bay Area police are searching Philip Garrido’s home and adjacent properties for evidence of two kidnappings in the late 1980s similar to the abduction of Jaycee Dugard, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Nine-year-old Michaela Garecht was kidnapped in 1988 from nearby Hayward, while 13-year-old Ilene Misheloff was taken 2 months later in Dublin. Hayward and Dublin police are searching the area. More»

(NEWSER) - The accused killer of an 8-year-old California girl has been linked to an earlier abduction of a child in the same community, reports the Tracy Press. A 7-year-old girl was led from her neighborhood in January by a woman driving the same kind of car belonging to Sunday school teacher Melissa Huckaby. The teacher was charged last week with murdering Sandra Cantu, a friend of Huckaby's young daughter. Huckaby, Cantu and the abducted girl all lived in the same trailer park. More»

Police set up task force to track them down

(NEWSER) - California cops have created a new task force to deal with an unlikely threat: highway robbers. At least seven drivers reported being set upon by armed robbers while their cars were disabled on the side of the road in the wee hours of Sept. 18-19, the LA Times reports. “There are isolated incidents where things like this happen,” says one highway patrol officer. “But something like this, where it’s multiple people, obviously caught our attention." More»