According to FBI authorities, an American kidnapped in Mexico has been found alive after being missing for eight months and is now safely back home.
Monica De Leon Barba, a U.S. citizen, was reported missing on Nov. 29, 2022, and was taken in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico, as she walked home from work with her dog.
According to the FBI, Ms. De Leon Barba was released by her captors on the evening of July 14.
The FBI previously stated that it offered up to $40,000 for information helpful in locating Ms. De Leon Barba. The award announcement in March was the FBI’s first public acknowledgment that it had been investigating the kidnapping.
On July 15, the FBI wrote on social media that authorities have made no arrests and are still investigating the captors’ identities.
Ms. De Leon Barba returned home 10 days after her 30th birthday and reunited in the Bay Area with her dog and brother.
At the time, the videos pinpointed at least five suspects involved in the kidnapping and who drove away separately in three vehicles—a white Chevy Suburban, a gray Dodge Charger, and a silver Volkswagen Jetta, according to the agency.
Mr. De Leon said kidnappers had been holding his sister hostage for money since the abduction happened and that they had sent evidence that his sister was still alive.
“For the past eight months, FBI personnel in California and Mexico have worked tirelessly with the family and partners here and in Mexico. Our relief and joy at the safe return of Monica is profound,” Mr. Tripp said in a July 15 statement.
He thanked the Mateo community for its endless support in helping to find Ms. Barba.
“In Guadalajara, territorial battles between criminal groups occur in tourist areas. Shooting incidents between criminal groups have injured or killed innocent bystanders. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping,” the advisory reads.