Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

KPCC Archive

Amber Alert: Father takes 2-year-old boy, abandons vehicle

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive. 

An Amber Alert was issued Friday for a 2-year old boy in Boyle Heights. The suspect is the boy's father, 27-year-old Abraham Vargas.

Vargas allegedly took the family car and the toddler Friday morning.

RELATED: Awakened by an Amber Alert? Here's why and how to turn it off

At a news conference outside the boy's home, mother Beatriz Perez pleaded for the boy's safe return. Perez asked in Spanish for Vargas to return her child, according to LAPD Capt. Gary Lopez.

Support for LAist comes from

"She's asking that he return her child. She's not asking for nothing else. She just wants her baby back," Lopez said, translating.

Perez told police Vargas has threatened to take the boy and flee to Mexico, but this is the first time he's actually taken action.

Vargas was last seen driving an orange 2004 Nissan Quest, but LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman tells KPCC that police found the Quest abandoned with no sign of the boy or his father. Police continue to look for any evidence in the van that may indicate their whereabouts.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist