Search Suspended For Kidnapping Suspect's Car In Canal
PATTERSON, Calif. (CBS13) -- The search for the kidnapping suspect who snatched a 4-year-old boy from his grandmother's arms Tuesday is focusing on a Patterson canal after a vehicle was found underwater, according to authorities.
Fresh tire tracks and witness reports indicate that a vehicle matching the description of 27-year-old Jose Esteban Rodriguez's car may have driven into the Delta-Mendota Canal just off Zacharias Road near Highway 33 in Patterson, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.
The canal is a short distance from the home where 4-year-old Juliani Cardenas was kidnapped at 4:12 p.m. Tuesday.
A farm worker reportedly saw the car plunge into the canal just after 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, but was too afraid to immediately report it.
Dive teams are working to determine whether there actually is a car in the canal and if the vehicle is the silver Toyota Corolla that Rodriguez used to flee the scene.
Authorities found a car in the water just after 5:00 p.m., but the vehicle was a stolen Honda from Modesto and is not connected with the kidnapping, according to the Sheriff's Department. The search was suspended for lack of sunlight Wednesday evening and will continue Thursday, authorities said.
Rodriguez, the ex-boyfriend of the victim's mother, allegedly made multiple attempts Monday night and Tuesday to abduct Cardenas before breaking into a home on the 300 block of Barros Street and assaulting the victim's grandmother.
Rodriguez has been convicted of violent crimes in the past, including manslaughter. The boy's mother said the suspect's mental state has declined rapidly since their relationship ended several months ago.
"He told me he hears voices. So he's a schizophrenic, but he hasn't been diagnosed," said Tabitha. "He's lost it."
Tabitha is eight months pregnant with Rodriguez's child. The suspect is not the victim's biological father.
Officers also released surveillance video this morning of Rodriguez buying beer at a nearby convenience store before the abduction. The video shows him calmly walking in, buying beer and calmly walking out. There is also a clear view of his vehicle.
Cardenas is described as 3 feet 6 inches tall, 40 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing dark pants, a light blue shirt, and black Spiderman shoes that light up.
Rodriguez is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, 180 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, and was least seen wearing a white and black shirt, checkered shorts and a beanie.
Rodriguez was last seen driving a silver Toyota Corolla with a California license plate number of 6HBW445. The car has oversized aluminum wheels and the left rear wheel is a smaller, spare wheel.
Anyone with information on the suspect or victim's whereabouts is asked to call 911 immediately.
