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May 14, 5:22 PM EDT

Missing N.M. toddler found safe in Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- For Kristi Black's family and friends, it was a day to grieve and a day to rejoice. Hours after they gathered to pay their last respects to the murdered teenager, federal authorities announced they had found her missing 16-month-old son in Mexico.
FBI spokesman Bill Elwell said late Friday that Justin Black, who was the subject of a nationwide Amber Alert, had been well cared for before he was turned over to authorities.

Elwell declined to release details about Justin's recovery, saying authorities were still trying to find his stepfather, 22-year-old Ivan Villa.

Villa is wanted on a felony kidnapping warrant. Police also want to talk with him about the death of Black, but they haven't called him a suspect.

"We still have a very active kidnapping investigation," Elwell said.

The state Children, Youth and Family Department took custody of the boy Friday, he said.

Dee Dee Black of Chowchilla, Calif., learned that her grandson had been found soon after returning home from her daughter's funeral in El Paso, Texas, earlier Friday.

"You have no idea," she said of how relieved she was to know Justin was safe.

Villa and the boy disappeared from the apartment where Black, 19, was found strangled on Mother's Day.
On Wednesday, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va., faxed some 10,000 fliers with photos of Justin and Villa to businesses and agencies in areas where investigators believe the pair might have traveled.

The boy's photo also appeared at the top of the group's Web site.

Authorities got a break in the case earlier this week when Kristi Black's car was found abandoned in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. They also had a tip that a man fitting Villa's description was spotted carrying a baby across a bridge on the border with Mexico.
While the pair was no where to be found, authorities continued to chase leads in El Paso and Chicago, where Villa has family.

On Mother's Day, police responded to a call of a verbal dispute between Kristi Black and Villa at the couple's Ruidoso apartment. Police said they didn't make an arrest because they saw no evidence of physical violence and the couple agreed to separate.

Several hours later, a friend went to the apartment and found the woman's body.

Kristi Black worked at a horse track with Villa. Family and friends described her as a dedicated mother and hard worker.