Kidnapping Suspect Released After Evidence Discredits Boy's Claims
MONROVIA (CBS) — Authorities say they've released the suspect arrested for an alleged kidnapping in Monrovia after finding that the 6-year-old boy had fabricated the story.
The child had told investigators that a man had snatched him from the backyard of his home in the 2500 block of Graydon Avenue at about 4 p.m. Friday.
"Somebody came onto our property, into the backyard and grabbed our son… put their hand over his mouth, picked him up, kind of like a football," the boy's father, Dominic Barrera, had told CBS2's Juan Fernandez this weekend.
The boy's mother had also seemed convinced by her child's claims:
"You fight for your life. I told him, 'You bite. You kick. You scream. You yell. You draw blood,'" she said. "I put a little fear in him and sometimes I think that maybe I was doing the wrong thing, but it helped him."
Sheriff's detectives released a sketch of the alleged suspect based on the boy's description. It led them to arrest a man Monday who lived in the same neighborhood as the child.
Later that day, detectives released the suspect after receiving information that discredited the boy's claims. They wouldn't say what information led them to this conclusion.
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