SAN ANTONIO — Update 11:45 p.m. EST Jan. 7: San Antonio investigators said at a press conference late Monday they now believe the kidnapping of a baby Friday night at a gas station was staged to look like a crime to cover up foul play, according to news reports.
Police have now identified the woman who authorities initially thought took 8-month-old King Jay Davila from his father’s car, according to KSAT-TV.
"The child was not in the car," Police Chief William McManus told reporters.
“This was not a car theft. This was not a kidnapping. This was a staged event," McManus said. "The woman in the video who took the vehicle is a cousin of Christopher Davila."
SAPD Chief McManus: “This was not a kidnapping. This was a staged event..” On 8-month-old missing baby #KSATnews pic.twitter.com/lcwQDr2uOw
— Stephanie Serna (@KSATStephanie) January 8, 2019
The woman has been arrested on an unrelated charge as police continue to search for the child.
TRENDING NOW:
- Tuesday rain, thunderstorms quickly changing to snow showers
- 2 children killed in house fire
- Driver, 3 passengers hospitalized after PAT bus involved in multi-vehicle crash
- VIDEO: Parents arrested after missing infant found buried in yard
- DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
Original story:
The father of a missing Texas baby is behind bars as police seek a female suspect in the child's kidnapping.
According to KABB, Christopher Davila, 34, parked his car at a San Antonio gas station Friday night, leaving the door unlocked and his 8-month-old son, King Jay Davila, in the back seat. Moments later, a woman approached the car, which was still running, then got inside and drove away, surveillance video shows.
PLEASE RT: Watch video of female suspect last believed to be with 8-month-old King Jay Davila last night. Call us if you have any information and please share. pic.twitter.com/3WRQXoqdHx
— San Antonio PD (@SATXPolice) January 5, 2019
Authorities found Davila's car in a nearby park, but the baby and keys were no longer inside, KABB reported.
But San Antonio police believe the case is more than just a random kidnapping. Investigators, who said they think Davila knows the woman in the video, arrested him on a child endangerment charge. They also said Davila's family has not been cooperating with police, according to KSAT.
Davila and his fiancee, Jasmine Gonzales, who is the baby's mother, disputed those claims.
"This is all just ridiculous because the more time they spend trying to accuse people of doing something they did not do, the more time they can be searching for my baby like they claimed they have been," Gonzales told KSAT.
"It is not right," Davila told the station in a phone interview.
Police said the woman in the video "is a thin-built white or Hispanic female" in her 20s or 30s who was wearing a gray hoodie and brown pants. King Jay was dressed in a blue onesie, KABB reported.
PLEASE RT: We need your help locating 8-month-old King Jay Davila who was taken while inside his fathers car on the 300 blk. of Enrique Barrera near SW 34th Street. Car was found nearby by Rodriguez Park. He was last seen wearing blue onesie. Call 911 immediately if you find him. pic.twitter.com/Y2Yc7cH73R
— San Antonio PD (@SATXPolice) January 5, 2019
Police are urging anyone with information about the case to call 911 or 201-207-7635. The FBI is also assisting with the investigation, San Antonio police tweeted Saturday.
Thank you @FBISanAntonio for your assistance in finding King Jay Davila. pic.twitter.com/16m9XhY2Jn
— San Antonio PD (@SATXPolice) January 6, 2019
Cox Media Group