On Thursday July 15th, between 1 and 3 pm, a 74 year old elderly woman, Maria*, was abducted after leaving Saint Peter and Paul Church on Opp St. She began walking on Lagoon Ave towards Anaheim, when a man in his thirties approached her in front of 928 Lagoon Ave. He asked her if she knew of a place where pregnant women can get help. Maria responded by telling him that he could just go to the church and ask them. He continued asking questions and then a woman between 35-40yrs old drove up in a black Astrovan and parked. She got out of the van and walked up to Maria, pretending she did not know the man, and asked what they were talking about. The man again repeated that he needed help. Maria told them she had to go, but they would not let her leave. Maria was then pressured into the van, and they drove off with her inside. The man told Maria that he has a winning lottery ticket, and that he needed two friends to go to Sacramento to help him cash in the ticket because he is here illegally. He asked that the two women give him all their money and jewelry so they could put it together. Maria told them she had no money and no jewelry. They drove to Fries Ave and I St. and parked on the corner in front of The Embassador Hotel. The woman, who was supposedly on the phone with the lottery calling center, began asking Maria for her name and other personal information. They told her they were going to give her $9,000. The woman told Maria and the man to get out of the car. She said she would be back to pick them up after she picked up her jewelry. The woman was gone for about ten minutes and then returned to drive Maria to her house so that she could give them her money and jewelry. As Maria walked up to the door, her husband noticed something was not right. Although Maria had been told not to tell anyone, she finally told her husband what was happening. When her husband walked to the front of the house, the people drove away.

Vehicle description: Black ASTROVAN, no tint on front windows

The woman (the driver): Dark complexion, between 35 – 40yrs old, about 150-165 lbs. black hair, she’s pregnant, speaks Spanish.

The man: light complexion, about 35 yrs old, 5’7″, speaks good Spanish, he told Maria he was from Ecuador, has a mustache and short light hair about 1′ long.

Please be aware of your surroundings and if someone tries to pressure you into their car, call the police immediately!

Harbor Division 310-726-7700
Amber Alert for missing persons (California) 916-227-6388

*her name has been changed to protect her identity.