The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is offering a $40,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of a kidnapped American woman in Mexico last year.
29-year-old Monica De Leon Barba was last seen on Nov. 29 walking her dog from work in Tepatitlan, a city in the central Mexican state of Jalisco.
FBI offers $40,000 reward for info on another US citizen kidnapped in Mexico; eye-opening report shows over 550 Americans are missing in Mexico https://t.co/jE7tRk0hQp
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 2, 2023
“De Leon was headed to a gym between 5-6 p.m. called Fit 4 Life in the Guadalupe Fraction when she was forced into a van ‘leaving the poor puppy alone in the street,’ her family and friends said on a community Facebook page dedicated to finding the missing woman,” CBS News reported.
The FBI is offering $40,000 for information leading to De Leon Barba’s recovery. According to the agency, she stands at 5’ 7” and weighs 240 pounds.
“You can submit a tip online at http://tips.fbi.gov, or call the FBI’s Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324),” the FBI San Francisco field office tweeted.
FBI Special Agent Robert Tripp believes that her abduction was a “targeted kidnapping,” and the hostage takers are apparently in contact with her family.
“We believe this was a targeted kidnapping,” Tripp told KTVU. “We believe she is still being held hostage. The hostage takers have been in contact with her family and the FBI is working very close with her family and with authorities in Mexico to bring her home safely.”
The missing woman’s brother, Gustavo de Leon, wrote a Facebook post following the bureau’s reward announcement.
“It has been four torturous months since my sisters’ kidnapping, although great efforts have been made every day to bring her home, today we find ourselves far from that goal,” the post read.
“I cant help but think of the absolute fear and agony she has faced for the last 121 days, and this is why I am imploring anyone that sees this message to help spread the word that the FBI has now released a reward for any information leading to the safe return of my sister,” it continued.
This comes as more and more Americans have been reportedly missing in Mexico recently. Last month, four U.S. citizens were kidnapped at gunpoint in Matamoros. The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for any information on the kidnapped Americans.
