The Santa Maria Police Department is investigating two incidents in which victims and their children were allegedly abducted and forced to hand over cash and jewelry.
The incidents occurred within months of each other, with the most recent one on Dec. 4. Police are unsure if the abductions are related, but both involved a diamond ring.
The first incident occurred Aug. 15 when a female victim reported she was walking with her infant child in the area of Western and Knudsen streets when she was approached by an older Hispanic female. According to a press release issued by the Santa Maria Police Department, the older woman began a conversation about a diamond ring she said she needed to sell to pay for her father’s medical bills.
A second suspect appeared, a man, and the older woman reportedly snatched the child. Then the suspects forced the mother into a vehicle and drove them to a bank where she was forced to withdraw money from her bank account. They then drove to her home and forced her to hand over more money and some jewelry before being released with her son.
Paul Van Meel, a detective with the Santa Maria Police Department, told the Sun that two other suspects were also involved in the August incident.
The second incident happened the morning of Dec. 4. This time, a mother was walking with her child in the area of East Boone Street when she was pushed to the ground, then forced into a vehicle. Once inside, two suspects tried to force the mother to buy a large, fake diamond ring. The victim reported seeing a handgun inside the vehicle. As in the previous incident, the suspects drove the mother to her home, where she was forced to retrieve money and jewelry while the two others held her son. Once the suspects got what they wanted, they left the child and took off.
The first incident involved a red, four-door older model vehicle; the second involved a large, black, four-door sedan.
Police think the suspects are targeting undocumented immigrants or people whom they believe may have large amounts of cash and jewelry. Although the first incident happened in August, it wasn’t revealed in a press release until Dec. 13. Van Meel said that he included the August incident now because the two incidents shared some similarities. He added that although no one at the department is sure if the two are related, the possibility exists.
No suspects have been identified, and the Santa Maria police are requesting information from the public regarding the two alleged kidnappings. Detective Mike Huffman from the Santa Maria Police Department is handling the investigation. Contact him at 928-3781, Ext. 297. The public is also urged to call Crime Stoppers with any tips at (877) 800-9100.
This article appears in Dec 18-25, 2014.
