By Staff
On Monday officers with the WSPD Field Services Bureau responded to a reported Runaway/Missing Person. During their investigation they learned that a 13 year-old female and 15 year-old male were missing and witnesses told police that they were possibly in the company of their uncle, 40 year-old Jose Melchor.
According to investigators, Melchor was transporting the teenagers to an unknown location in Mexico and that he and the teens had been planning this endeavor for several weeks.
The WSPD contacted law enforcement agencies who have jurisdiction over the areas in their estimated direction of travel in hopes of intercepting the vehicle, which was believed to be a green Ford F-150 pick up truck.
During the course of the investigation, charges for Felony Abduction of a Child were authorized by the District Attorney’s Office with Full-Extradition.
Shortly before 1:00am Tuesday morning Melchor and the kids were located by the Louisiana State Police on interstate 10 in Garyville in a Nissan Frontier with NC tags. Melchor was taken into custody without incident and the teenagers were located unharmed. Authorities with the Louisiana State Police are still in the process of contacting Child Protective Services for temporary custody of the children as of this posting.
The teenagers will be reunited with their mother as soon as practical. Melchor will remain in custody in Louisiana as extradition is being worked out to bring him back to North Carolina.
