Photo: Diana Moreira
SAN JOSE – The San Jose Police Department has announced the arrest of 33-year-old Diana Moreira after she kidnapped her two children and fled to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
An Amber alert was issued for the children immediately following the abduction. Highway signs alerted drivers to be on the lookout for a grey 2012 Mini Cooper with CA license plate 6UWL251. However, law enforcement was cautious to warn residents that it was likely the mother was taking her 1-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter to Colorado.
The circumstances surrounding the abduction began with a welfare check at Emma Prusch Park, located at 647 S. King Road in San Jose.
On Friday, November 2 at about 5:22 PM, a Child Protective Services Social Worker supervised a visit between the mother and her two children. However, when the CPS worker took one child to the restroom, the mother took the 1-year-old child and disappeared. Then, while the CPS worker frantically looked for the mother and child, Moreira also took the second child.
Then on Monday November 5th, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado contacted the SJPD and said they had information that the suspect and two children were at a residence in the area. They identified the mother’s vehicle as being the one in the driveway of the home.
According to Sergeant Enrique Garcia, “The suspect was taken into custody and will be booked into the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Justice Center for child endangerment and the outstanding kidnapping warrant.”
The children were not harmed, and the mother currently is waiting for a bond hearing in which she will be taken back to San Jose to face charges for the kidnapping and child endangerment.
