Three Mexican nationals who broke into a home and demanded $1 million have been arrested for the April 28 kidnapping of a woman and baby in Garner, North Carolina.
Eleodoro “Leo” Estrada-Hernandez, 37, was arrested Friday by officials with the FBI in Charlotte. He is an illegal immigrant who had been previously deported, now facing multiple state charges.
According to WTVD ABC 11 News, Estrada-Hernandez faces two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of second-degree kidnapping, one count possession of a firearm by a felon, and two counts assault by pointing a firearm.
The #FBI arrested Eleodoro "Leo" Estrada-Hernandez in connection to the kidnapping of a young mother and her baby. Hernandez was taken into custody by FBI Special Agents in Knightdale this morning. He will be taken to the Wake County Detention Center. @GarnerPolice @SBI1937 pic.twitter.com/2p5g2k9TwL
— FBI Charlotte (@FBICharlotte) May 2, 2025
Two other suspects, Paola Duran Duran, 25, and her brother Miguel Angel Duran Duran, 23, of Raleigh, were arrested Tuesday, April 29. The siblings each face two felony counts of first-degree kidnapping and one felony count of second-degree kidnapping.
They allegedly demanded $1 million from a Garner man and then kidnapped his wife and the couple’s 11-month-old daughter. The abduction prompted an AMBER Alert that was canceled after the woman and baby were found safe in Wake Forest, WTVD ABC 11 reported.
According to police, the three suspects who were wearing masks and armed with guns forced their way into a home in Garner around 11 p.m. Monday, April 28. They demanded $1 million in cash.
BREAKING out of @FBICharlotte: This morning, our Agents arrested an individual Eleodoro "Leo" Estrada-Hernandez in connection with the kidnapping of a young mother and her baby in North Carolina on Monday night.
Our agents and partners acted incredibly quickly in this case.… pic.twitter.com/rmZInYyJV3
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) May 2, 2025
When the man living there refused, they tied him up with duct tape and took his wife and 11-month-old daughter, according to police.
On Tuesday morning, the victims were found safe in Wake Forest after a resident reported that a woman with a baby showed up at her house and said they needed help. Investigators have not announced a motive for the crime or why the family was targeted.
Wake County District Court Judge Ashleigh Parker ordered the Durans to be kept in custody. Officials said the Duran Durans are in the U.S. illegally with ICE detainers and are believed to be Mexican citizens. They were denied bond at the first appearance in Wake County Court Wednesday, CBS 17 News reported.
“The defendant is not a U.S. citizen,” a prosecutor said. “We’re concerned about flight.”
The FBI offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of Estrada-Hernandez. He was on the run for three days and arrested by FBI special agents Friday around 9 a.m. in Knightdale, CBS 17 News reported. He was taken to Wake County Detention Center after his arrest.
FBI Director Kash Patel praised the FBI’s work @FBICharlotte on the social platform X:
“Our agents and partners acted incredibly quickly in this case. Within 24 hours of the reported kidnapping, they arrested two suspects – and Estrada-Hernandez is now the third. He is an illegal immigrant who had been previously deported, now facing multiple state charges. Most importantly, I’m thankful to report both the mother and baby were found safely Tuesday morning. Thank you to our agents, intelligence teams, and local partners @GarnerPolice and @SBI1937 for quick action. Outstanding work.”
A retired deputy sheriff, Michael Smith, lives across the street from the victim’s home. Garner Police knocked on his front door the night the abduction occurred. Smith told them he saw the suspect’s vehicle, a black Nissan Altima, earlier in the day near the victim’s house.
In another WTVD ABC 11 News report, Smith described the neighborhood as ‘working class and quiet’ and said he was shocked this could happen on his block.
“Everybody kind of minds their own business, works all day. And add something like this into it – kidnapping. That’s a whole new ball game,” he said. “It was a bad situation. But I’m glad to know that things are kind of working out for the woman and the little baby.”
The FBI, along with the Garner Police Department and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, are still investigating the circumstances outside of the reported ransom, according to CBS 17 News.
