Suspects identified in Baby Brandon kidnapping; infant found inside suspect's home
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Three suspects in custody in the kidnapping of Brandon Alexis Cuellar were identified Wednesday as Jose Roman Portillo, Baldomeo Sandoval and Yesenia Guadalupe Ramirez, San Jose police said.
The three were being held on criminal counts that included kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, child abduction and home invasion. Investigators still haven't revealed what was the motivation behind the kidnapping.
San Jose police spokesman Sgt. Christian Camarillo said Wednesday morning Ramirez is a family friend and had run errands with the infant's grandmother just prior to the abduction.
"At this time, preliminarily, we believe that that female was in contact with one of the suspects that came in to take the baby," said Camarillo.
Camarillo also said the initial video that was shared of a man carrying a baby carrier was one of the suspects arriving at the child's home, not of the suspect walking away with the child.
"He subsequently left later with the baby in that baby carrier. It's a clear indication that this was pre-planned, premeditated. They had a plan, they executed it that day," said Camarillo.
He urged news crews at a Wednesday morning press briefing to not contact the child's mother, repeating a call he issued on Tuesday.
"Mom is very traumatized right now," said Camarillo. "She needs her space. She was not able to go home yesterday because there were camera crews camped out there. She couldn't go home to get a change of clothing. I'm going to make the plea publicly now. Please give mom some space."
The case began with a call reporting a missing 3-month-old infant Monday afternoon. Officers quickly responded to the residence in an apartment building in the 1000 Block of Elm Street.
The child's grandmother told police that after she momentarily went outside to unload groceries from her vehicle, she returned to the residence and discovered her infant grandson gone.
The preliminary investigation revealed an unknown male suspect, later identified as Portillo, had secretly entered the residence and kidnapped the infant. An initial canvass of the area revealed video surveillance footage of Portillo arriving at the victim's residence with a child car seat in hand.
A desperate search was launched that eventually grew to include specially trained FBI agents.
During the investigation, detectives learned that prior to the kidnapping, Ramirez had transported the victim and the victim's grandmother to run errands.
As she was questioned, Ramirez's statement changed several times. With their suspicions raised, detectives detained her as a person of interest. Sandoval was identified as an additional suspect in the case and was also detained and interviewed.
Based on their statements and evidence obtained during the investigation, both were placed under arrest.
On Tuesday morning, Portillo was taken in custody and his residence was searched. During the search, little Brandon was found. Healthy and unharmed. The infant was transported to a local hospital and reunited with his family. Out of an abundance of caution, the victim was admitted for a routine medical examination.
Any persons with information about this case or similar incidents involving this suspect are urged to contact Detective Van Brande #4542 of the Robbery Unit with any information about this incident at (408) 277-4166.
Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.svcrimestoppers.org. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program.
