Kidnapped US Citizen Monica De León Barba Returns Safely to the United States
San Francisco, California (CNN) – Monica De León Barba, a US citizen who was kidnapped last November while walking home in Mexico, has returned to the United States after being released by her captors, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) authorities in San Francisco.
“The FBI is pleased to announce that Monica De León Barba is safe and on her way to the US, where she will be reunited with her family and her dog after spending eight months in captivity,” the FBI said in a Twitter message on Saturday.
De León Barba was released by her captors on Friday night, as confirmed by the FBI. The kidnapping incident occurred in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico, in November, as De León Barba was returning home from work accompanied by her dog.
The FBI had offered a reward of up to $40,000 for information leading to locating De León Barba. This reward announcement, made in March, marked the FBI’s first public acknowledgment of its investigation into the kidnapping case.
As of now, no arrests have been made, and authorities are still investigating the identity of the captors, as reported by the FBI in a social media post on Saturday.
“The FBI investigation is far from over, but now we can make progress in this case knowing that an innocent victim has been reunited with her family,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge, Robert K. Tripp, in a statement posted on Twitter.
The safe return of De León Barba brings relief and joy to her loved ones, who have been anxiously awaiting her release. The details of her captivity and the circumstances of her release have not been disclosed.
De León Barba’s case highlights the ongoing issue of kidnappings in certain areas of Mexico. The US State Department has previously issued travel advisories cautioning US citizens about the risks of traveling to Mexico due to security concerns, including kidnapping and violence.
The FBI continues to work diligently to bring justice to those responsible for De León Barba’s abduction, and the safety of US citizens abroad remains a top priority.