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Father, Missing Child Found After Abduction In Watsonville; Police Negotiating For Child's Release

WATSONVILLE (CBS SF) -- Watsonville police were negotiating with a father who was holding his one-year-old daughter hostage after abducting her following an argument with the girl's mother, according to police.

One-year-old Frida Torres was taken Sunday night by her father, 39-year-old Miguel Torres, who fled in a white pickup truck.

Frida Torres Miguel Torres
Frida Torres, Miguel Torres (Watsonville Police Dept.)

On Monday morning, California Highway Patrol officers tried to stop the truck elsewhere in Santa Cruz County after a suspected hit-and-run, but Torres allegedly sped off and officers canceled the pursuit on northbound state Highway 17 near Scotts Valley after seeing a child in the vehicle without a car seat, police said.

According to police, the CHP said the case does not qualify for an Amber Alert activation because Torres has custodial rights and no history of child abuse/endangerment.

As of 6 p.m. Monday, Torres and his daughter have been located and officers from Watsonville Police Department's Crisis Negotiation Team have made contact with him and were working on convincing him to let the girl out of the truck.

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