Amber Alert for 2-year-old Kenji Montoya ends with safe recovery
The 2-year-old Kenji Montoya has been found, El Paso police confirmed late Thursday night.
The El Paso Police Department confirmed the safe recovery of 2-year-old Kenji Montoya at 10:01 p.m. on March 14 through X, formerly Twitter.
"The 2-year-old boy at the center of a local Amber Alert has been rescued. Kenji Montoya and his father, Miguel Angel Montoya, were safely secured," El Paso police posted.
The situation is under investigation, police officials said.
An Amber Alert continued late Thursday for 2-year-old Kenji, who was believed to have been kidnapped by his father in El Paso.
The El Paso Police Department on Thursday morning issued the alert for the boy allegedly taken by his father, Miguel Angel Montoya, during an alleged domestic violence incident in the Lower Valley.
"We do feel that the child is in danger, that is the reason we issued this local Amber Alert. So, we are using all of our resources to locate this child," Detective Judy Oviedo, a police spokeswoman, said at a news briefing at police headquarters.
Police are urging the boy's father to come forward, Oviedo said.
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"We want both of them safe at home and that's what's most important to us is to have both of them back home safe, especially for the child, that's a major concern for everybody," she said.
Amber Alert El Paso: 'This situation is urgent'
Detectives with the Crimes Against Persons are "urgently seeking assistance" in locating Kenji Adonis Montoya and his father, who is wanted on a felony domestic violence warrant, a police news release stated.
"This situation is urgent and poses a serious risk to the safety and well-being of Kenji Montoya," police stated.
Miguel Montoya, 30, allegedly brandished an undisclosed type of weapon during the domestic violence incident and left with Kenji in a gray 2020 Dodge Journey from a residence in the 7200 block of North Loop Drive, police said. The address is near the El Paso Community College Valle Verde campus.
The boy was taken by his father at 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13. The Amber Alert was issued at about 6:30 a.m. Thursday.
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"Unfortunately, sometimes it does take a while to gather all the facts and we want to make sure we put out as much accurate information that we can. We don't want to put out anything false to preserve the investigation," Oviedo responded when asked about the time it took to issue the missing-child alert.
Kenji has brown eyes and brown hair, is about 2 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 28 pounds. He was last seen wearing a Spider-Man long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans.
Miguel Montoya, who has brown eyes, weighs 130 pounds and stands 5 feet 6 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a black Dragon Ball Z baseball cap, black leather jacket and blue shirt.
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By late Thursday morning, police had located the gray 2020 Dodge Journey with license plate number TKR0213. Police now believe Miguel Montoya is driving a red 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt with Texas license plate TRH6179.
El Paso police are working with the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Texas Department of Public Safety in case Montoya attempts to cross the border into Mexico or the state line into New Mexico.
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Detectives are reaching out to different people, including Montoya's family and friends, as part of an investigation that will continue until the child is located, Oviedo said.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Amber Alert El Paso TX today: Missing boy Kenji Montoya found
