DCS statement on the US Marshals recovery of two children taken from DCS care in 2018

Phoenix, AZ (April 12, 2024)-

The Arizona Department of Child Safety is grateful that two children, who were kidnapped by their parents and taken to Mexico in 2018, have been safely returned to Arizona.

The children's abduction occurred after their parents assaulted a case aide in 2018 and fled to Mexico, evading authorities for years. However, after relentless pursuit and coordination among law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Marshalls were able to recover the children on April 5 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

"We commend the unwavering commitment and tireless efforts of all the agencies involved in this operation," said David Lujan, DCS Cabinet Executive Officer. “We are relieved and overjoyed to have these two children safely returned to Arizona after all of these years.”

The children’s parents, Luis Alberto Herrera Ramirez and Andrea Vanessa Ramirez, were arrested by ministerial agents of the Specialized Unit to Combat Kidnapping of the State Attorney General's Office, in collaboration with INTERPOL and the U.S. Marshals in the District of Arizona and the USMS Mexico Foreign Field Office.

The couple were wanted in the United States on multiple criminal charges, including the 2018 kidnapping of their children.

"The safe return of these children underscores the importance of collaboration in keeping children safe, regardless of geographical boundaries," said Edwin Wangler, Chief of DCS’s Office of Child Welfare Investigations. “We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone involved in their recovery and the crucial role each agency played in ensuring the children’s safe passage back home to Arizona."