Couple accused of kidnapping their own children arrested in Mexico, police say
Luis Alberto Herrera Ramirez and Andrea Vanessa Ramirez were arrested in Aguascalientes, Mexico on April 5, 2024.
The children were safely recovered and taken to Arizona where they will be turned over to The Department of Child Safety care until they can be reunited with the family.
The Pima County Superior Court issued an arrest warrant on May 4, 2018, after the couple assaulted an Arizona Department of Child Safety employee and kidnapped their own two children.
At the time of the incident, both parents were on bond after being indicted for numerous counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and child abuse with a firearm.
As a result of these charges, their kids were removed from their parents’ care and were placed in the custody of the state.
During the court-ordered visitation at a local park in Tucson, The Ramirezs assaulted an Arizona Department of Child Safety worker with a taser device and tied her to a tree before fleeing with their kids.
On May 3, 2019, the Pima County Superior Court found Herrera-Ramirez and Ramirez guilty in absentia on the indicted charges, including sexual abuse of minors, sexual exploitation, manufacture of child pornography, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
The U.S. Marshals Service elevated the investigation to major case status shortly after.
After running down numerous leads, the USMS District of Arizona Task Force determined they had fled to Mexico.
In August 2023, investigators developed information the couple were possibly staying in Aguascalientes and were living under aliases to avoid detection.
U.S. Marshals Service Personnel continued to work to narrow down a specific location and were able to identify an associate who was believed to be aiding them.
“After five years of hard work, diligence, and perseverance by our federal, state, and local partners, two violent criminals have been apprehended and these children have been brought home safely,” said Tucson Chief of Police Chad E. Kasmar, “When Luis Herrera-Ramirez and Andrea Ramirez committed an unthinkable crime against children and violently assaulted a DCS worker, it deeply affected our Tucson community.
I am grateful for the hard work of all our partners in this multijurisdictional operation.”
