Kidnapped Girl With Mother In Mexico

THOUSAND PALMS – A 4-year-old girl who was abducted from a Thousand Palms home by two women posing as social workers was “in good health” Tuesday with her mother in Mexico, a sheriff’s deputy said.

Monica Ruby Morales was taken from a home at 30701 Desert Moon Drive around 9:30 a.m. Monday. Investigators spoke with the child’s mother later that day and confirmed that the girl was with her in Mexico, said sheriff’s deputy Herlinda Valenzuela.

Valenzuela said she did not know where in Mexico the child was or whether the girl will be brought back to the United States, where her father, who has legal custody, lives.

No arrests have been made and the green minivan driven by the two abductors has not been found, Valenzuela said.

The abduction began when a babysitter at the Thousand Palms home heard a knock on the door and was met by two women who identified themselves as social workers, Valenzuela said.

The babysitter asked the suspects for identification, but the women grabbed the child and drove away in a green minivan, she said.

Valenzuela said the child’s mother was deported to Mexico about 20 days ago and may have hired the women to take her daughter.

A statewide Amber Alert was issued and sheriff’s deputies notified authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The alert was temporarily canceled late Monday afternoon because of conflicting reports that the green minivan and the suspects had been found. However, a short time later, sheriff’s Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez said the girl was still missing and the suspects were still at large, adding that authorities were still searching for the green minivan.

The Amber Alert was canceled after investigators spoke to the girl’s mother, claiming the child was with her in Mexico.

Anyone with information was asked to call sheriff’s investigators at (760) 836-1600.