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This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

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

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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.

"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.

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