http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/ ... 806633.htm

Posted on Thu, Mar. 01, 2007



Abduction suspect becomes 'Most Wanted'

REBECCA BLUE
Herald Staff Writer

MANATEE - The manhunt for Manatee County's most wanted fugitive has caught the attention of the host of Fox's "America's Most Wanted."

Saturday night, John Walsh will profile the international manhunt for kidnapping suspect Vicente Ignacio Beltran-Moreno, during a segment of the one-hour show.

Walsh mentioned the case Tuesday during his daily broadcast program on ABC radio.

The popular television series joins multiple other national shows, such as the Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor," NBC's "Today" show and ABC's "Good Morning, America," which have mentioned the case as it has unfolded during the past six days.

Manatee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dave Bristow has been bombarded with e-mails and voice mails left by a plethora of media outlets since Friday morning, when detectives say Mexico native Beltran-Moreno, 22, kidnapped 13-year-old Clay Moore at gunpoint at his Kingsfield Lakes bus stop in Parrish, in a plan to collect ransom money.

"This has been the most intense media coverage in recent memory," Bristow said. "The only case comparable to this one was the Brannon murders, and I think this case is still a little more extensive."

In 1999, Sherry Brannon and her two daughters, Shelby and Cassidy Brannon, were slain in their Panther Ridge home. Detectives arrested 48-year-old Larry Parks within one month of the triple homicide. He was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder in 2002 and is serving three life sentences.

Beltran-Moreno remained on the loose Wednesday night. Authorities said they believe Beltran-Moreno may have fled the state, and maybe even the country.

The FBI on Tuesday obtained a federal warrant for Beltran-Moreno, charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The federal charge will make it easier to extradite him to Florida if he is arrested in another state or country, authorities said.

Clay, who returned to classes at Manatee School for the Arts Wednesday, was found 4½ hours after his abduction, about 1:30 p.m. Friday, in a wooded area about 20 miles east of Interstate 75.

Clay, whom detectives have deemed a young "MacGyver," used a safety pin on his hooded jacket to free himself after the kidnapper bound his hands and feet with duct tape to two trees.

Using a nearby farmworker's cell phone, Clay phoned his stepdad to tell him he had been kidnapped. Authorities traced the call, which ultimately led them to Clay.

The home Beltran-Moreno lived in with his girlfriend and two children, along with the truck believed to be used in the abduction, were searched by authorities Sunday after a 13-hour stakeout by detectives.