Winston-Salem Police included this image of Jair Gasga-Espinoza after they thought he had been kidnapped. The report was later said to be unfounded. | Twitter
Winston-Salem Police included this image of Jair Gasga-Espinoza after they thought he had been kidnapped. The report was later said to be unfounded. | Twitter
A 17-year-old boy who was reported to have been kidnapped for ransom was found safe, and the Amber Alert was withdrawn a little more than an hour after it was issued.
Winston-Salem Police sent out a tweet early Monday with an Amber Alert for Jair Gasga-Espinoza.
Shortly after 1 a.m., police were called and told the boy had been kidnapped from an address in the 500 block of North Martin Luther King Boulevard. Investigators were told that members of the family had been getting text messages seeking ransom if they wanted to see the boy alive again.
“Upon further investigation, detectives determined the report of Gasga-Espinoza being kidnapped was false,” police said later, according to WGHP.
The Amber Alert was sent out hours after police took the report, in accordance with North Carolina Department of Public Safety guidelines. About 80 minutes later, the police issued a follow-up tweet saying the teen has been found safe.
A more in-depth news release was issued later, saying the kidnapping report was unfounded.
The teenager was released into his mother’s custody, police said.
Alerts Sign-up