Half million dollars ransom, but kidnapped baby found

There are more details tonight about the kidnapping of a Corozal toddler who was abducted within days of celebrating her second birthday. The child is the daughter of a well-to-do Chinese couple who have investments at the Corozal Free Zone as well as in Corozal Town. The kidnappers wanted closed to a million dollars for the return of the child. The toddler is safely reunited with her family and tonight we have an exclusive interview with the woman who took the baby to the police station; she is also a relative of one of the suspects and claims the situation looked suspicious. Duane Moody was in Fireburn, a small and remote community of eighty-seven residents in southern Orange Walk, and files this report.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Sometime after seven on Sunday night, a most frightening ordeal hit the family of thirty-one year old businesswoman, Mei Tang Chen. While traveling home from work with her two year old daughter, Ivy Yang, Chen was blocked from the front and back by two vehicles. Just a stone’s throw from their house in Santa Rita Heights, masked men pounced on them, abducted baby Ivy and left Chen with a phone, allegedly belonging to a woman from Guinea Grass Village in Orange Walk. Police were immediately mobilized.

Allen Whylie

Allen Whylie, ComPol

“With that information reaching police, the officer commanding, Mister Ramirez who is here today activated his quick response team and other resources and put a number of check points in place. I also directed the Head [of] NCIB, Assistant Commissioner Blackett, to proceed to Corozal to take command of the situation and all the coordination. Additional resources in terms of an anti-drug unit team, a mobile interdiction team, a special patrol unit team were also deployed to provide additional human resources for operational purposes to get to the bottom of the crime.”

Andrew Ramirez

Andrew Ramirez, O.C., Corozal Police

“We also confirmed that there was a contact number that was placed with the victim and through that number she was contacted at 11:13 p.m. where the demand for a certain amount of money was made. We identified the location of that dispatched call and we also activated another angle of investigation.”

The toddler was taken to a small community in southern Orange Walk, Fire Burn Village. One of the accused, who at this time is detained by Corozal police, went to his relatives in the village on Monday and claimed that he was baby Ivy’s father. In an exclusive interview with his cousin today, a series of events indicated to her that something was not adding up.

Voice of: Fire Burn Villager, Returned Baby Ivy to Police

“He is my mother’s nephew.”

Duane Moody

“Did you suspect that there was anything suspicious because this baby was Chinese descent and he had this baby with him?”

Voice of: Fire Burn Villager

“No we didn’t suspect anything because he said he had this baby with a Chinese lady. Then we said, he is our family so we didn’t suspect anything. He was whole morning with my mom and then at the night, he went to my brother in law for taxi and my husband and myself took him to Corozal. When we reached Corozal, he took us to a house and there he got out of the pickup with the baby and a lady and he says right now I will pay you for your service. We were waiting for ten minutes and after that, next man come outside from the house with a baby and he says take me to sea side and there he will pay us the money. He asked where is the sea side and I told him I don’t know. And so he told me go to the right and let’s see if we can find the main street and when we see it, it was just a block from Maya Hotel. And then after Maya Hotel, we went to the sea side and there was some coconut trees and he ordered my husband to go to the back of a tree, but I didn’t let my husband go back of the tree because it was very dark and I was frightened because I don’t know what that man was to do to us. Or kill us. I told my husband to step the vehicle and the man opened the door from the pickup and he left the baby there and I was shouting and my husband too told him not to left the baby there.”

Fearing for her husband’s life and her own, the cousin took the baby to police.

Voice of: Fire Burn Villager

“The only place I know here at Corozal is my aunt house, I don’t know where is the police station and we just gone to my auntie house and the baby was crying. I have the baby because the man pushed the baby on me. When I reached my aunt’s house, if can go with us to the police station. She sent a next person with us to show us the police station.”

Duane Moody

“Where was the man when you guys went to the police station?”

Voice of: Fire Burn Villager

“The man that took us to the sea side, as soon as we reached my aunt’s house, he just opened the door and walked away. We don’t know where he gone.”

Allen Whylie

“Monday night, the child was safely handed over back to the police despite the fact that demands had been made for payment of a ransom. I must say that none was done and it was as a result of the increase presence and activity by the police that the child was safely returned back to police.”

Russell Blackett

The case file has been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions. No charges have been levied as yet and the family has relocated from Santa Rita Heights. The family remains under police protection.

Assistant ComPol Russell Blackett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch

“As we speak the family is being protected and we’ll continue to do it. We don’t have a timeline on it, but we will continue to. Up to yesterday evening at five o’clock we spoke again with the victim, we ensured her safety and whatever request she may need, she has our contact numbers which at this time does not go off; it is a twenty-four-seven communication between ourselves and the victim.”

Despite the safe return of the baby, police investigation continues. Duane Moody for News Five.

Up to late this afternoon there were no charges levied against any of the suspects.