A toddler who was abducted and taken to Mexico in February has been safely returned to Southern California.
The boy, who is 17 months old, was identified as Miguel Eduardo Zuniga Medina, Jr., according to the FBI.
On Feb. 6, the boy’s mother, Brigette Benitez, 31, who does not have custody of the child, was scheduled for an unsupervised visit with the boy in Walnut.
Instead of returning the boy to his legal guardian, she took him and brought him across the border to Mexico, authorities said, crossing through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego County.
The next day, a federal arrest warrant was filed for Benitez, charging her with international parental kidnapping.
Benitez took the child to the Aguascalientes region where his father, who also doesn’t have custody, was believed to be living.
The boy’s father, Miguel Eduardo Zuniga Medina, Sr., was arrested in 2023 for an alleged domestic violence incident and has a “history of engaging in violent altercations in the presence of children,” according to court documents.
After he was arrested, the toddler was placed into the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.
“The Superior Court in Los Angeles County found that it was necessary to remove Zuniga Medina, Jr. from his parents for his own health, safety, and well-being,” officials said.
On April 3, the boy was located by authorities in Mexico. Two days later, he was brought back safely to Los Angeles. He was placed with a foster family and appeared to be safe and healthy, FBI officials said.
His mother was deported by Mexican authorities and remains in custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the FBI, LASD, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the United States Marshals Service and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from several law enforcement agencies in Mexico.