A 3-month-old baby kidnapped from his grandmother’s home in California has been reunited with his mother, police say

By CNN Newsource

Published April 26, 2022 1:44 AM

By Amanda Jackson and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

Authorities have found 3-month-old Brandon Cuellar, who they say was kidnapped Monday in San Jose, California, as the infant’s grandmother unloaded groceries.

The child was reunited with his mother Tuesday and taken to a local hospital for a precautionary evaluation, the San Jose Police Department said in a tweet.

Three suspects were in custody Tuesday, the police department said.

“A million thank you’s to all who assisted,” police said, later adding, “Many of us are fathers, mothers, we were not going to give up until we found him.”

Brandon’s grandmother was watching him while his mother was at work when he was kidnapped, police had said.

The grandmother took the child inside her apartment and went back outside for a short time to unload groceries, police said. While the baby was alone, a man entered the apartment and took the child, they said.

Police released surveillance video showing a man walking on a sidewalk with a covered car seat, which investigators said held the child.

Police did not immediately say if any of the suspects in custody was the same person in those images.

The suspect previously described by police appeared to be a stranger, and neither the baby’s grandmother nor mother recognized the man, Sgt. Christian Camarillo said Monday, before Brandon was located. The child’s father is incarcerated, he said.

“Anybody who is a mother or father, you don’t love anything more than you love your child,” Camarillo said.

An Endangered Missing Advisory was activated by the California Highway Patrol, but an Amber Alert was not issued since the police did not have information on a suspect’s vehicle or license plate, Camarillo said.

CNN’s Stella Chan contributed to this report.