Federal authorities located a woman who was accused of taking her biological son to Mexico in violation of a custody order in the Aguascalientes region of Mexico, the FBI announced Thursday.
Brigette Benitez, 31, was deported by Mexican immigration authorities while her son, Miguel Eduarzo Zuniga Medina, Jr., was returned to the custody of the Department of Child and Family Services in Los Angeles. The toddler, who is now with a foster family, appears to be safe and healthy, according to the FBI.
The toddler was last seen on Feb. 6 at 9:30 a.m. near the 500 block of Grand Avenue in Walnut. He was allegedly picked up by Benitez and was not been returned to his legal guardian.
Investigators believed the mom took the child, crossed into Mexico on the same day at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego County.
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Benitez has been charged with international parental kidnapping in a criminal complaint.
Multiple agencies in Mexico and the U.S. worked together for several weeks to find the baby boy and arrest his mother, the FBI said.
