Thread: Mexican Cartel Linked to Kidnap of U.S.6 Year Old Boy UPDATE

Why did the police come out a few hours ago and say they had removed the Amber alert on the boy, but say they have no idea where the child is?

The boy has been found alive.

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Police find missing Las Vegas boy
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Cole Puffinburger
AP

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A 6-year-old boy kidnapped from a Las Vegas home by alleged drug dealers posing as policemen has been found alive in a neighborhood northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, police said early Sunday.

The child was "in extremely good condition" and had been taken to University Medical Center in Las Vegas for examination, Las Vegas police Capt. Vincent Cannito said at a news conference.

"He is safe and in our custody," Cannito said. "It's a blessing this child has been found."

Cole Puffinburger was recovered at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday after a caller informed detectives about a child walking alone on a street in a middle-class neighborhood of tidy, modest-sized homes about 5 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas police Officer Jay Rivera said.

Detectives discovered Cole outside a large Methodist church in the neighborhood. The area was being treated as a crime scene, but police gave no information about how Cole got there or where he had been kept since his Wednesday morning abduction.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Southern California | Hispanic | Nevada | Las Vegas Strip | Riverside | San Bernardino | Methodist | Cole | Las Vegas Review-Journal | University Medical Center | Officer Jay Rivera | Capt. Vincent Cannito

The child was kidnapped at gunpoint by men who tied up the boy's mother and her boyfriend and ransacked their home.

Cole's father attended the news conference wearing a T-shirt with his son's photograph, but would not comment on when he planned to see his son or whether Cole would be returning to his home or the boy's mother's home.

"This is just about Cole being home," Robert Puffinburger said as he choked back tears. "Cole's back."

Authorities arrested Cole's grandfather Clemens Tinnemeyer late Friday in connection with the boy's disappearance. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Tinnemeyer was Cole's maternal grandfather.

Police believe that the abductors were Mexican drug dealers and that the kidnapping at gunpoint was a "message" to Tinnemeyer, 51, whom they said may have stolen millions of dollars from dealers.

Tinnemeyer was arrested in Riverside, Calif., and was being held in nearby San Bernardino on a material witness warrant issued by a federal court in Nevada.

Officer Cris Johnson, a Las Vegas police spokesman, declined to say what role Tinnemeyer played in the drug operation or whether the kidnappers had been seeking a ransom.

Police believe methamphetamine was involved, Johnson said.

Las Vegas police didn't know Saturday whether Tinnemeyer had a lawyer. He was scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate Monday in Riverside.

Authorities investigating the abduction were also focussing on two other men, including a Mexican citizen identified as Jesus Gastelum.

Gastelum, who is in his mid-30s, is believed to be in Las Vegas or Southern California, police said. The other "person of interest" was not identified.

Police and child advocates had concentrated their search efforts on a largely Hispanic neighborhood a few miles from where Cole was found. They distributed fliers in English and Spanish with a photograph of Cole, a slight, smiling blonde in glasses.

Robert Puffinburger said he had just stopped passing out the fliers for the night when he got the call alerting him Cole had been found.

"I'm just so glad he's safe," he said.

Added to Home PAge

http://www.alipac.us/article3648.html


Glad they found the little boy.

Oct 19, 3:00 PM EDT

Boy being questioned by Las Vegas police

By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY
Associated Press Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Six-year-old kidnapping victim Cole Puffinburger was safe in his father's custody Sunday, as police tried to untangle the child's family's ties to the Mexican drug dealers suspected in his abduction.

"We're speaking with the boy today. I know he's being interviewed by law enforcement, and we'll probably get a better idea of where he's been," FBI spokesman David Staretz said Sunday.

Staretz would not comment further on what had happened to Cole in the four days since he was snatched from his mother's home by two men posing as police officers. Police have said they believe the Wednesday kidnapping was an attempt by drug dealers to send a message to the boy's grandfather.

Cole was found alone on a quiet street outside a Methodist church in Las Vegas late Saturday night. He was in "extremely good condition," but was taken to University Medical Center as a precaution, Las Vegas police Capt. Vincent Cannito said.

Cole was treated and released to his father's care about 5 a.m. Sunday, hospital spokesman Rick Plummer said.

Robert Puffinburger, the boy's father, was a picture of relief at an early Sunday news conference with reporters. He smiled, cried and thanked police and neighbors for helping to bring Cole home.

Puffinburger and police had concentrated search efforts on a largely Hispanic neighborhood a few miles from where Cole was found. They distributed fliers in English and Spanish with a photograph of the boy, a slight, smiling blond in glasses.

"I'm just so glad he's safe," his father told reporters.

Puffinburger would not comment on Cole's mother or her father, 51-year-old Clemens Tinnemeyer, who police say may have stolen millions from dealers involved in trafficking methamphetmine.

Tinnemeyer was scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate Monday in Riverside, Calif. He was arrested there Friday and was being held in nearby San Bernardino on a material witness warrant issued by a federal court in Nevada.

Las Vegas police didn't know Saturday whether Tinnemeyer had a lawyer.

Police have declined to elaborate on what role Tinnemeyer played in the drug operation or whether the kidnappers had been seeking a ransom.

Staretz said authorities continued the search Sunday for another "person of interest," a Mexican citizen identified as Jesus Gastelum.

Gastelum, who is in his mid-30s, is believed to be in Las Vegas or Southern California, police said. Another "person of interest" in police custody Saturday was not identified.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/ ... TE=DEFAULT

Thank you God.

Unfortunately, Americans are going to see a lot more of this kind of crime since our borders are not secured and the majority of our immigration laws go unenforced.

The crime cartels that impersonate police, kidnap, and assassinate frequently in Mexico and points south are now setup across America due to rampant illegal immigration.

For now, I'm just glad they got Cole back but he will not be the last and the story will not always end as well as it did in this case.

Cole would have fetched a big price on the International pedophilia markets as the top money goes for a Caucasian child with blond hair.

I'm guessing that the high level of media this case received is the main reason they released Cole.

W

Police seek answers from boy at center of kidnapping ordeal

By Kathleen Hennessey
ASSOCIATED PRESS

October 20, 2008

LAS VEGAS – As abruptly as he was taken, Cole Puffinburger reappeared. What happened to the youngster in between is still a mystery.

In an abduction that Las Vegas police Capt. Vincent Cannito called “as bad as it gets,â€

Calif. arrest stemming from Las Vegas boy's abduction

ASSOCIATED PRESS

3:20 p.m. October 20, 2008

LAS VEGAS – Another arrest has been made in the investigation stemming from the abduction of a 6-year-old Nevada boy who was found safe over the weekend.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said Monday that 42-year-old Terri Leavy was taken into custody by Fontana, Calif., police officers on Sunday. Leavy is believed to be the companion of Clemons Fred Tinnemeyer, the grandfather of Cole Puffinburger.

Authorities say Leavy was wanted on an outstanding federal material witness warrant. She is expected to appear in a Riverside, Calif., courtroom with Tinnemeyer.
Cole was set free late Saturday on a Las Vegas street. Investigators have been speaking to the boy to learn what happened during the time he was held.

Authorities are looking into whether Tinnemeyer may have stolen money from drug dealers.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/stat ... ucted.html

Police: Jailed man of interest in Vegas kidnapping

By Ken Ritter
ASSOCIATED PRESS

2:57 p.m. October 21, 2008

LAS VEGAS – A man jailed since last week on a weapons charge was named Tuesday as another “person of interestâ€

Man Booked In Puffinburger Case Freed From Jail
Man May Be Booked As Illegal Immigrant By Feds, Attorney Says

POSTED: 10:47 am PDT October 29, 2008
UPDATED: 11:22 am PDT October 29, 2008


LAS VEGAS -- A man who has been held in connection with the abduction of 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger will be freed from jail Wednesday. That's according to a court order.

But Jose Lopez-Buelna, 48, may be taken into federal custody after being freed, said his attorney Wednesday. Police said Lopez-Buelna is an illegal immigrant who was deported to Mexico in 2003.

Police and prosecutors aren't saying how Lopez-Buelna's release affects the investigation of Puffinburger's abduction.

On Oct. 15, Puffinburger was taken from his mother's home at gunpoint, Metro police said. He was discovered unharmed four days later at a downtown bus stop.

While they are still investigating the incident, police said Puffinburger's grandfather, Clemens Tinnemeyer, may have stole millions in drug money from a Mexican cartel, leading to the boy's arrest.

Tinnemeyer has since been taken into police custody.

No suspects have been named in his kidnapping.

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/17839615/detail.html

Action needed here again, Please join in!

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