THORNTON, CO – Diego James Gettler was arrested and charged with second-degree kidnapping after he grabbed a 10-year-old girl in the STEM Launch K-8 school in Thronton. Police released photos of the 28-year-old and his vehicle that were captured on the school’s surveillance cameras.
Gettler was picked up after a couple came into Thornton police identifying him. That identification came directly from Gettler’s parents, who recognized him and his damaged vehicle in the photos.
Diego Gettler charged with kidnapping in incident at STEM Launch in Thornton https://t.co/3AehmGXz3K via @CBSNewsColorado
— John Owens (@jowens121850) October 1, 2022
As reported by FOX News, the girl told police that her mother dropped her off at school and she was sitting on the school steps when she was approached by Gettler.
He reportedly asked the girl if she attended the school before walking up the stairs behind her and then turned and came back toward her.
“The male made her feel uncomfortable, so she stood up as he was walking back down the stairs,” Fox reported, quoting an arrest affidavit. “The male grabbed [her] at this point, in a manner she described as him wrapping his hands and arms around her waist from behind.”
She began to scream, and he covered her mouth.
The girl began grasping at anything she could get her hands on and was able to partially remove the mask that he was wearing.
Police say that Getler panicked, thankfully letting the girl go, and running off.
He climbed into the passenger side of a grey Saturn Aura then drove away.
Later that day, police made the photos public.
Gettler’s parents saw the news story and went to the police department and met with detectives, where they identified their son as the man in photos as well as explaining why he climbed into the vehicle through the passenger side.
“[His parents] stated Diego owns and operates a gray Saturn Aura which has damage on the driver side,” caused by an earlier car accident. “[His parents] further confirmed that Diego has to enter the vehicle from the passenger side,” the affidavit states.
Upon learning his identity, police were able to get Gettler’s phone pinpointed to the area near the school.
He was later found sitting in his car outside a Home Depot in Parker, Colorado, almost 40 miles from the scene of the attempted abduction.
He was taken into custody without incident.
He is expected to appear in court on October 5th.
Alert citizens flag down police, stop a kidnapping in progress and save the life of an innocent toddler
SIOUX FALLS, SD – Believing that something was not quite right, a handful of people flagged down officers patrolling the area. Those individuals told police about a suspicious man carrying a toddler.
Providing a description of the man, they pointed police in his direction. Sioux Falls police made contact with Michael Flann Neal, Jr., 36, who was walking with a 1-year-old.
Neal’s original story was that he was being shot at and was concerned for his safety. He said that he didn’t know who was shooting at him. There were no reports of shots being fired in the area to confirm his story.
According to KELO, police say his story wasn’t adding up and he appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
When pressed on the toddler with him, he told authorities that he was the child’s uncle. As the conversation continued, Neal was unable to provide police with the parents’ names. As police detained the man and continued their questioning, two things came to light.
One, it was determined that the 36-year-old had an outstanding warrant. It is unknown what that warrant was for, but he was taken into custody for that warrant. While that was playing out, a call came into the SFPD regarding the child that was with Neal.
A Sioux Falls man is behind bars accused of kidnapping a 1-year-old baby. https://t.co/4VL4yUkQhy pic.twitter.com/prIePAdTVs
— KELOLAND News (@keloland) September 20, 2022
To no one’s surprise, Neal was in no way related to the toddler. While the child’s parents knew of Neal, there was no reason for him to have been with the toddler.
Here is what we know.
Earlier that day, while both parents were working, Neal went to their home where the 1-year-old was being watched by a nanny. He managed to force his way into the home. Police have not provided any details about how he was able to gain entry into the apartment.
The child’s caregiver attempted to stop Neal, but he simply pushed her aside, grabbing the toddler and rushing out.
While the investigation continues, officials have not yet been able to determine what the Neal’s plan was for the kidnapping. Could it have been for ransom or trafficking? Police are still trying to piece that all together.
Neal is now locked up on his previous warrant, as well as having been charged with 2nd-degree kidnapping and drug charges for possessing a small amount of meth.
Man charged with billionaire heiress’s murder arrested for unsolved rape and kidnapping of ANOTHER woman one year ago
Memphis, TN: A career criminal who was accused of kidnapping and murdering Eliza Fletcher, a billionaire heiress, was slapped with another major crime after his DNA was connected to a rape reported nearly a year ago.
No surprise there.
Cloetha Abston, 38, of Memphis, Tennessee, was arrested last week in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Eliza Fletcher, whose body was found in the woods. After discovery of her remains, investigators arrested Abston less then a day later.
According to the Newsbreak coverage of the Daily Mail, which stated:
“Abston was arrested on Tuesday – less than a day after detectives found Fletcher’s body – but was rebooked on Friday on new charges of aggravated rape, especially aggravated kidnapping and unlawful carrying of a weapon.”
It continued:
“Memphis Police said that the new charges stem from a rape kit sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in September 2021, when an unidentified woman filed the alleged crimes to police.”
A routine part of the rape kit includes a DNA sample. The kit was placed into police custody as evidence storage. When Abston was arrested, the system was flagged with a DNA hit in its database- leading to a new charge. He was subsequently rebooked.
The Memphis Police Department made a public statement that stated:
“The Memphis Police Department said in a statement: ‘An official CODIS (national DNA database) hit was not received until after the unfortunate event that occurred on September 2, 2022.”
The statement continued:
“Probable cause to make a physical arrest of any suspect did not exist until after the CODIS hit had been received.”
The Eliza Fletcher Murder Recap
Eliza Fletcher was a 34-year-old pre-kindergarten teacher at a Memphis Christian school. Fletcher comes from a wealthy family that built its fortune by founding a private hardware company and is a staple within the community.
Fletcher’s late grandfather, Joseph Orgill, built the hardware supply company, Orgill, Inc. It currently employs over 5,500 people and is valued at over 3 billion dollars.
Forbes listed Orgill, Inc. as the worlds 143rd largest private company in 2021.
Fletcher, an avid and competitive runner, was on a routine early morning jog on Friday, September 5th when she allegedly crossed paths with Abston driving a black SUV.
Police allege the Abston made a planned and calculated decision to kidnap her. Video footage showed a black SUV forcibly placing Fletcher inside the vehicle.
This is atypical with career criminals, which adds a disturbing layer to the heinous act. A majority of career criminals are impulsive and reactionary, committing crimes with little thought or planning to meet an immediate need- like quick cash, or sexual gratification.
A Fox News press release stated:
“Abston allegedly camped out in the area for about 24 minutes before Fletcher was taken. Police say surveillance cameras recorded him sprinting out of a GMC Terrain SUV and forcibly grabbing Fletcher around 5:30 a.m. In the ensuing struggle, he lost his Champion slides at the scene, and police found his DNA on them, according to an arrest affidavit.”
The Fox News column continued:
“Police found her body Monday behind a vacant home close to Abston’s brother’s apartment, where witnesses told investigators they saw him washing out the SUV with chemical cleaner.”
Investigators were examining tire marks when they came across the unmistakable smell of human decay. They followed the scent which led them to the body of Fletcher.
Fletcher left behind her husband and two young sons.
Abston, a Career Criminal
Abston, who is no stranger to the criminal justice system, started at an early age.
According to the Newsbreak column, it stated:
“Now 38, he was just 11 when he first appeared in Shelby County Juvenile Court, charged with theft of property $500 or less. Court documents reveal that he was then convicted of raping a man when he was a teenager, and was placed in the custody of Shelby County’s Youth Services Bureau. He was detained 16 times from October 1995 to May 2000 for rape, aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon.”
It continued:
“Two weeks after he was released from the youth services bureau to his mother’s care, he was transferred to adult court for the 2000 kidnapping lawyer Kemper Durand. Abston was only 16-years-old when he and an accomplice kidnapped Durand, threw him into his own trunk, and tried to force him to withdraw money at a gas station ATM.”
Tennessee is one of the few states that still uses the death penalty. Prosecutors have publicly stated that the death penalty is not ruled out at this point.
If this case doesn’t qualify for the death sentence, what would?
This kidnapping victim lucked out thankfully.
Kidnapped girl escapes, leads police to gruesome crime scene, illegal immigrant suspect
Posted August 4, 2022
TALLAPOOSA COUNTY, AL – On Tuesday, August 2nd, an obviously distraught 12-year-old girl was seen walking down a road by a passing motorist.
That individual stopped to help her and called police, waiting with her until they arrived.
“We try to preach this, if you see something you need to say something,” Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said of this good Samaritan.
“You don’t need to go down the road and say, ‘What should I have done’ and then you find out this happened, because I’m sure that there’s more motorist who passed her that day.”
That parable was told by Jesus and is found in Luke Chapter 10 (verses 29-37). It speaks of a man who was robbed, beaten and left for dead. He was seen on the road by two individuals who passed him by.
But the third man, a Samaritan, showed mercy and stopped what he was doing to help.
When authorities arrived, they spoke with the girl and paramedics took the girl from the scene to get medical treatment.
Using the information they received from the victim, they began to investigate, finding a grizzly situation involving not only the girl, but also her mother and 14-year-old brother.
What they were able to determine led to the arrest of the boyfriend of the deceased adult female, 37-year-old Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, who is believed to be an illegal alien who was previously deported, according to Fox News.
Fox News | Previously deported illegal alien Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes arrested in Tallapoosa County, AL.
• One count of first-degree kidnapping
• Multiple counts of capital murder
• Two counts of abuse of corpse pic.twitter.com/XtyeQggcLT— Miss Francis ⚡️ (@bymissfrancis) August 4, 2022
The girl was never reported as or considered a missing person.
According to NBC News, he is now charged with three counts of capital murder, two counts of abuse of a corpse, and one count of first-degree kidnapping.
He is being held in the Tallapoosa County jail. He appeared for a bond hearing on Wednesday. The judge ordered him held without bail.
While many of the horrific details have not been released, authorities have said that one of the victims was smothered while the other was beaten to death.
They said that 34-year-old Sandra Vazquez Ceja was smothered with a pillow and her body was cut into pieces to hide the evidence.
The 14-year-old boy appears to have been beaten and kicked until he died from blunt force trauma. He was also dismembered so that his body could be disposed of easier.
Sheriff Abbett said that the little girl was taken on July 24th and spent more than a week tied to a bed post. They believe that the suspect left her alive for the purpose of abusing her sexually.
While Abbett said that the man who is believed to have committed these violent acts kept her in her in a drugged state by forcing her to drink alcohol, she managed to chew her way out of the materials that she had been tied to the bed with, even breaking her braces on her teeth in the process.
It was reported that she had marks on her wrists consistent with having been forcibly restrained.
Sheriff Abbett hailed the girl as a hero for enduring what she did and finding a way to escape, while also discussing just how gruesome this scene actually was, calling it the worst thing he has seen in his 53 years in law enforcement.
“It’s kind of hard to put into words,” Abbett said Wednesday, referring to murder scenes. “All of them are bad, but this is horrendous. I’ve seen lots of lots of homicides and this is horrendous. I would say she is a hero.”
This story is developing. As updates are made available, we will provide them here.
Children must be taught to never talk to strangers.
Report: Kidnapper hits 13-year-old with his pickup, pretends to be an officer and forces the kid into his car
LOS ANGELES, CA – Authorities have reported that a 38-year-old man has been arrested for kidnapping after allegedly posing as a police officer in an attempt to convince a 13-year-old boy to get in his vehicle after hitting him with his truck.
This is a wild story. I'll be live at 11p with the details.
Man hit 13-year-old boy with truck and posed as cop to try to kidnap him, LAPD says https://t.co/YWk4Jr9mOV via @abc7
— David González (@abc7DavidGonz) July 7, 2022
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the young teenage boy was riding his bike near Van Nuys Boulevard and Tupper Street when he was struck by a pickup truck that was being driven by Ottoniel Mendoza.
After hitting the boy with his truck, Mendoza allegedly show him a badge and told the boy he was a police officer. He then directed the boy to get into his vehicle. A statement issued by the LAPD read, in part:
“The victim followed the direction of the suspect and got into the suspect’s truck.”
Thankfully, a witness who saw the crash followed Mendoza and contacted the police.
The suspect was quickly located near Sepulveda Boulevard and Tupper Street. Police confirmed that he and another man were inside the truck with the 13-year-old boy. LAPD Valley Bureau Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said in a statement:
“While the suspect was driving around with the victim in the vehicle, he picked up another male and just after that male was picked up, our Mission Area patrol officers found the vehicle and took everyone into custody.”
The young boy was transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated for minor injuries from the crash involving Mendoza’s pickup truck. Hamilton said:
“Fortunately, for us, a community member observed what occurred and called 911 and started following the suspect after he placed him in the vehicle. I sincerely don’t think he had good intentions. I think this could’ve ended a very different way had our officers not located the individual and had that community member not called 911 and alerted us.”
The boy was riding his bike in Panorama City when he was hit by a pickup truck whose driver showed the boy a badge and told him to get in, the LAPD said.https://t.co/KDfIC9vaDD
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 7, 2022
According to police, Mendoza was arrested and booked on kidnapping charges. Captain Matthew Plugge, commanding officer for LAPD’s Mission Area Patrol Division, said that an additional charge of impersonating a law enforcement officer is pending.
Mendoza was released on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on July 27th. The other man in the pickup truck was interview by police, but was not taken to jail. Hamilton said that it’s too early in the investigation to determine what the motive of Mendoza was or what could have happened.
Man hit 13-year-old #boy with truck and #posedasCop to try to kidnap him, #LAPD says https://t.co/AJ4Zitk3CE via @abc7 A witness who saw the crash followed #Mendoza and called police. If this man has hit you with his vehicle and tried to #kidnap you, call @LAPD #SanFernandoValley pic.twitter.com/RwXoJ3NfEL
— RebeccaAnderson (@RebeccaLAnders) July 7, 2022
However, he said that he does believe they would be looking for a missing teen if it wasn’t for a good Samaritan who saw something and did something about it. He added:
“It’s probably likely that this individual saw this victim and saw the juvenile as a target and then created this traffic collision scenario. He took the juvenile into his car in a coercive manner, identified himself as law enforcement and then took off.”
Mendoza’s wife believes that her husband was just “trying to prove he was a safe person to get help from” and that he recently got the security badge from their church. Police, however, are not convinced and fear that this actually might have happened before. Hamilton said:
“Our concern out here in the community is that you may have juvenile victims where this individual attempted to kidnap them for whatever nefarious reasons.”
LAPD, who released a photo of Mendoza, is urging people to look at the picture and pickup truck in case there are any other potential victims who might need to come forward and contact authorities.
