Florida- from www.jacksonville.com – A disappointing paid sexual encounter Thanksgiving Day led to a woman’s baby being kidnapped and abandoned in a field overnight.
The 1-year-old toddler, Lupita Gonzalez, was found alive at 3:20 p.m. Friday under a bush in a field in Seville five miles south of Crescent City after a 10-hour search.
Carlos Rivera, 23, of Crescent City, is charged with kidnapping, child abuse and being an illegal alien, according to the Volusia County corrections department. Lupita’s mother, 30-year-old Leah Wiley of Astor, is also jailed on a charge of child neglect.
The child had been missing about 32 hours. This case was “about as bizarre as it gets,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesman Gary Davidson.
“It is hard not to think about what this child must have been through out in a field on her own in the elements,” Davidson said.
“The temperature got a bit cool that evening, and it breaks your heart to think what that child must have gone through.”
Rivera was at a Thursday night party at a home on Lawrence Street in Seville, and so was Wiley and her child. Rivera is accused of paying Wiley to have sex with him, but got mad when she was called to another room before they were done. He grabbed her daughter and left at 7 a.m. Friday, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The two walked along U.S. 17 until Rivera got worried that he might get in trouble, so he abandoned the girl in a field and hitched a ride to Putnam County, the Sheriff’s Office said. Just before 5 a.m. Saturday, he called the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office to report the girl missing.
At first Rivera was vague and confused, Davidson said.
“He said he had left the party with the child and was impaired and blacked out and couldn’t remember where he left the child,” the sheriff’s spokesman said.
Bloodhounds and a helicopter helped ground units in the search, but the child wasn’t found until Rivera drew a map and searchers focused on an area about two miles away from Lawrence Street. Davidson said it was relieving to find her in such good condition. She was hospitalized with dehydration and insect bites.
Wiley was charged with child neglect after failing to report her missing daughter to authorities, the Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators said she suspected Rivera had taken Lupita but didn’t want the child’s father to find out she had sex with him.
Rivera also is being charged on Putnam County warrants for failure to appear in court on charges of grand theft, DUI and driving without a license.
from www.cfnews13.com – VOLUSIA COUNTY — The man accused of kidnapping a 1-year-old girl and leaving her in a field for over 24 hours will remain in jail.
A judge ordered that Carlos Rivera, 23, be held without bond Sunday. The judge ruled that Rivera is a flight risk. He is also wanted in Putnam County for not appearing in court on a number of charges, including grand theft auto.
Officials said River reported the girl, Lupita Gonzales, missing early Saturday morning. Gonzales was found Saturday afternoon under a bush in a field. Deputies say she appeared to be okay.
Deputies say Carlos Rivera, 23, confessed to taking Gonzales and leaving her in the field.
Rivera and the child’s mother, Leah Wiley, 30, were at a party Thursday where illegal drugs were being used. They say Rivera told them he was upset because he had paid Wiley to have sex with him while they were at the party, but they were interrupted.
Deputies say Rivera took the child around 7 a.m. Friday, became worried that he might get in trouble, and abandoned her.
Wiley appeared before the judge at Sunday for charges of child neglect and for failing to report her child missing to law enforcement. Bond was set at $10,00, even though the State Attorney’s office recommended a bond of $1,500.
Deputies say Wiley suspected Rivera took the child, but she did not report it because she didn’t want the child’s father to find out she had sex with Rivera.
Gonzales and Wiley’s two other children are now in DCF custody.