WEST VALLEY CITY — An Amber Alert was issued for about three hours Saturday morning for Natalia Velazquez, 2, who allegedly was taken from her home in West Valley City by her father, Gabriel Velazquez, 24, who is not the custodial parent.
However, the alert was canceled a few minutes after noon after a Salt Lake City police officer spotted the child in a car with Gabriel Velazquez's brother. The girl was recovered, and the two Velazquez brothers were taken into custody.
"She's fine. She's safe," said West Valley Police Lt. Bill Merritt.
"We were concerned about the welfare of the child. The father had never harmed her or threatened to harm her, but the father has a warrant for aggravated re-entry into this country. He has been deported once and has made an illegal re-entry."
Police got a call about 9:20 a.m. regarding what was first considered a civil problem: a father taking a child from the home without the mother's permission. It was initially classified that way because there are no custodial papers drawn up by a judge, according to Merritt.
However, police arrived on the scene within minutes and determined that this was more than a civil problem.
"This father had no legal right to his child, and he had no legal right to go into the home," Merritt said. "He went in while people were sleeping, picked up the little girl and told the mother he was leaving. She even chased him out of the house, but couldn't catch him."
Velazquez left in a maroon 2001 Ford Focus with the child and his brother, Eduardo Velazquez Camacho, 20. West Valley police issued an "attempt to locate" alert so other agencies would search for the car.
"In the meantime, we were getting text messages and phone messages (directed to the mother) saying he was on his was to Mexico with the child," Merritt said.
While officers were looking for the car, others were trying to verify Gabriel Velazquez's identity, which turned out to be a somewhat complicated effort.
"He has multiple aliases, so it took a while to figure out who this guy is. He has been arrested under several different names in several different cities," Merritt said.
Merritt said he had few details Saturday afternoon regarding how the child was recovered, but he said a Salt lake City police officer saw the car and recognized Gabriel Velazquez's brother with the girl.
The brother was "completely cooperative" and, within a short time, Gabriel Velazquez was taken into custody.
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