SoCal Toddler Kidnapped From Foster Parents: FBI

LOS ANGELES, CA — The FBI is asking people to be on the lookout for a baby and his mother, who is suspected of kidnapping the boy from his foster parents in Los Angeles County.

Authorities believe she may be fleeing to Mexico with the 16-month-old boy possibly to be with the boy's father. The child had been taken from his parents by child welfare officials following a domestic violence incident last year, according to the FBI.

Brigette Benitez has been charged with international kidnapping, according to Laura Eimiller, FBI spokeswoman.

"The FBI is seeking the whereabouts of Brigette Benitez, 31, and her biological child, Miguel Eduardo Zuniga Medina Jr.," Eimiller said. "Benitez, who does not have custody of Medina Jr., is believed to have taken him to Mexico after failing to return him to the foster parent where he had been placed by the (Los Angeles County) Department of Children and Family Services."

"Benitez may have taken Medina Jr. to Aguascalientes, Mexico, after failing to return him to his legal guardian following an unsupervised visit that occurred on February 6 in Walnut, California," Eimiller added.

Benitez was last seen driving a black 2021 Toyota Camry with a California license plate number 8WAS968, according to the FBI.

According to a federal arrest warrant, Benitez intentionally obstructed the Department of Children and Family Services, which holds legal and physical custody of the baby.

"Miguel Eduardo Zuniga Medina Sr. is the non-custodial father of Medina Jr. and is believed to be living in Aguascalientes, Mexico," Eimiller said. "Medina Sr. was arrested last year for an alleged domestic violence incident and has a history of engaging in violent altercations in the presence of children, according to a Juvenile Dependency Petition filed in Los Angeles County."

"Following last year's arrest, Medina Jr. was placed in the custody of DCFS," Eimiller said. "The Superior Court in Los Angeles County found that it was necessary to remove Medina Jr. from his parents for his own health, safety, and well-being. Benitez and Medina Sr. have also been charged in Superior Court in Los Angeles County.

"Investigators have established that Benitez crossed into Mexico on February 6 at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego County," Eimiller said.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the United States Marshals Service. The United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles is prosecuting Benitez.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Benitez is asked to call their local FBI office or the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Information may also be provided at www.tips.fbi.gov.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the United States Marshals Service.