logo
Illegal immigrants in North Carolina kidnap mom, infant daughter at gunpoint after family refuses to pay $1M demand

Illegal immigrants in North Carolina kidnap mom, infant daughter at gunpoint after family refuses to pay $1M demand

New York Post01-05-2025

A pair of illegal immigrants and another man kidnapped a terrified mother and her infant daughter in North Carolina Monday after the family refused to pony up $1 million, authorities said.
Paola Duran Duran, 25, her brother Miguel Angel Duran Duran, 23, and Eleodoro 'Leo' Estrada-Hernandez, 37, are accused of taking the pair at gunpoint before freeing them.
Mom and daughter later turned up at a stranger's door looking for help.
Advertisement
5 Paola Duran Duran was arrested for allegedly kidnapping a mother and her infant daughter.
Garner Police Dept.
5 Paola's brother Miguel Angel Duran Dura was also arrested.
Garner Police Dept.
'The Garner Police Department is thankful these victims were recovered 'safely' the police said in a statement.
'We appreciate the support of our community as we work tirelessly to arrest the suspects responsible and uncover the motive behind this crime.'
Advertisement
While the siblings were arrested Wednesday, the third suspect, Estrada-Hernandez, remains on the loose and the subject of a $10,000 reward for his capture.
The two busted suspects were illegally in the United States were facing ICE holds, according to local reports. The status of the man still being sought was still not clear.
5 Eleodoro 'Leo' Estrada-Hernandez is still on the loose.
FBI
The harrowing abduction began Monday night when the masked trio armed with guns allegedly shouldered their way into the home of Eliuth Alejandro Martinez, demanding money, according to police.
Advertisement
Police said that the victims claimed to investigators that the kidnappers wanted $1 million, but Martinez refused to pay.
The kidnappers then allegedly wrapped him with duct tape and fled with his wife, Alondra Michelle Benitez De Jesus, 26, and the couple's 11-month-old daughter, Grecia Salome Alejandro-Benitez, in a black Nissan Altima.
5 Paola Duran Duran was arrested for the kidnapping.
Garner Police Dept.
'Investigators quickly uncovered evidence and began to follow multiple leads to locate the victims,' according to a press release from the Garner County Police Department.
Advertisement
The kidnappers let the mother and daughter go and the two ran to a woman's home, frantically knocking on her door early Tuesday morning looking for help, police said.
The homeowner called 911, and police arrived to collect them.
5 Miguel Angel Duran Duran in police custody.
Garner Police Dept.
The Duran Duran siblings were tracked down less than 24 hours after the harrowing abduction and arrested during a joint investigation between local police, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.
The pair was charged with multiple counts of kidnapping.
The FBI said investigators are still looking for Estrada-Hernandez, who is charged with multiple counts, including kidnapping and assault.
Hernandez is described as five-foot-four and weighs approximately 190 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes with multiple tattoos on his forearm.
Anyone with information on Hernandez, can call the Garner Police Department Crime Stoppers at 919-834-4357 or 1-800-CALL FBI or tips.fbi.gov.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Speeding Volkswagen kills two in Stark County crash: Police
Speeding Volkswagen kills two in Stark County crash: Police

Yahoo

time37 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Speeding Volkswagen kills two in Stark County crash: Police

[WATCH: In the video player above, learn about Ohio's 10 most dangerous highways.] CANTON, Ohio (WJW) – Two people have died after Canton police report a Volkswagen Golf travelling at a 'very high rate of speed' struck a Nissan Altima near 4th Street NW and Wertz Avenue NW. The crash happened at about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 7. Remains found in search for missing teen last seen at airport According to police, both vehicles were traveling on Wertz Avenue. The Golf was heading northbound when it hit the Altima, which was traveling southbound, attempting to turn eastbound onto 4th Street NW, said police. 'The driver of the Golf was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Canton Fire Department. The driver of the Altima was transported by the Canton Fire Department to Aultman Hospital where she later succumb to her injuries,' states a press release. Nationwide recall of Zicam® and Orajel™ products The driver of the Golf has been identified as Christopher Siple Jr., 41, of Canton. The driver of Altima has been identified as Dai'sha Wise, 28, of Canton. The Canton Metro Crash Team responded and is investigating the accident, according to police. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Canton Police Department Traffic Bureau at 330-438-4485. Anonymous tips can also be sent through Tip411. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Florida No. 2 in gun sales but numbers are dropping here and in the US. Possible reasons
Florida No. 2 in gun sales but numbers are dropping here and in the US. Possible reasons

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Florida No. 2 in gun sales but numbers are dropping here and in the US. Possible reasons

Floridians, and Americans in general, are buying fewer guns. People in the Sunshine State bought just over an estimated 1.2 million guns in 2024, according to the annual report from safety product review site based on data from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). That's a 7% drop from 2023. Florida still ranks No. 2 in the country in total gun sales, though, behind Texas (1.36 million). Sales were down nationally as well, where the estimated 16.1 million firearms sold in 2024 were a 3.4% decline from the previous year. The National Shooting Sports Foundation's annual report calculated a lower number, 15.2 million sold in 2024, but also said sales were declining. Sales have declined every year since 2020 after peaking during the COVID pandemic, SafeHome said. Gun sales in Washington plunged nearly 46%. "Some expected the 2024 presidential election to drive a spike in gun sales, but early data from 2025 tells a different story," said SafeHome managing editor Rob Gabriele. "In the first four months of the year, just over 5.29 million guns were sold, averaging around 1.32 million per month. "If that pace holds, 2025 will end with roughly 15.5 million gun sales, a 3.8 percent drop from 2024 totals," he said. "This mirrors the previous year's rate of decreasing sales." However, 15 states saw increases in gun sales, with Massachusetts residents buying 22.5% more of the weapons. SafeHome releases its report every year in time for National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which was June 6. Many Americans wear orange between June 6-8 in honor of Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. SafeHome estimates that 389,994 guns have been sold in Florida from January through April 2025, behind Texas with 443,224. But by this time last year, Florida gun sales hit nearly half a million. Florida saw gun sales go up 1% in 2023, the same year the state passed a law to allow permitless concealed carry. The Sunshine State was one of only four states to see an increase, with 1,316,471 estimated sales in 2023, according to the report. FBI report: Active shooter incidents decrease in 2024, list includes Florida I-10 shooter Whlie the answer remains unclear, the record sales during the pandemic may have lowered the demand for now. 'What we saw in 2020 and 2021 were not sustainable from a market standpoint,' Jonathan Metzl, director of Vanderbilt University's Center for Medicine, Health, and Society, told The Trace, a website tracking gun violence. 'But also, many more people have guns now, and so the market of potential consumers is a lot smaller than it was during the pandemic.' Another factor is a Republican president in the White House. Gun sales tend to rise when presidents from the Democratic Party are elected, due to expectations of more restrictive gun laws, weapons confiscation, or fears of violent right-wing suppression. In January 2021, the month rioters swarmed the Capitol to prevent the certification of former President Joe Biden's votes, the firearms industry set a new record of more than 2 million firearms in one month, CNN reported. That was a 75% increase over the number sold in January 2020. Firearm and ammunition sales also spiked during former President Barack Obama's terms. However, gun sales dropped 17% during the first three years of President Donald Trump's first term, The Trace said. Some gun owners may be shifting their focus on accessorizing the firearms they own instead of buying more, Guy J. Sagi wrote for the American Rifleman in February. An October 2024 NSSF press release (now deleted, archived here) reported that American ownership of suppressors is skyrocketing, with as many silencers sold between May 2021 and July 2024 as were registered in the previous 87 years. Other possible reasons for a drop in sales include more restrictive gun laws in some states and inflation pushing firearms farther down the list of immediate needs for many Americans. According to SafeHomes' analysis of NICS data, these are the states with the most firearms sales in 2024: Texas: 1,363,596 (1.2% increase) Florida: 1,224,566 (7% decrease) California: 1,019,136 (2.3% decrease) Pennsylvania: 822,286 (2.3% decrease) Tennessee: 583,750 (7.8% decrease) Ohio: 583,959 (0.1% increase) Virginia: 566,053 (2.7% decrease) North Carolina: 530,083 (6.1% increase) Missouri: 500,885 (3.8% decrease) Michigan: 481,870 (13.3% decrease) Adjusted for population, Wyoming, Montana and Alaska have the highest gun sales rates in SafeHomes' report. "These states have strong hunting traditions fostered by rural lifestyles and less rigid gun control laws," Gabriele said. "The pro-gun cultures and the need for self-defense in such remote areas, which abound in predators that could harm livestock, may also contribute to higher gun ownership and sales." Wyoming: 68,964 (16.1 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Montana: 135,882 (15.9 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Alaska: 79,217 (15.4 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) New Hampshire: 145,700 (13.3 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Oregon: 429,892 (13.2 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Alabama: 460,694 (12.3 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) North Dakota: 65,170 (11.7 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Idaho: 162,079 (11.5 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) West Virginia: 155,421 (11.5 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Oklahoma: 322,315 (11.1 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Tennessee: 583,750 11.1 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) In comparison, Florida saw 7 firearms sold per 100 residents 21 and older. National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which falls on the first Friday in June every year, was established to honor the estimated 88 Americans (as of 2015) whose lives were cut short by gun violence every day, and the survivors whose lives are forever changed. The day, and the Wear Orange movement, began when some Chicago teens asked their classmates to wear orange on June 2 to commemorate the birthday of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton. Pendleton was shot and killed a week after marching in President Obama's 2nd inaugural parade. Orange was chosen because it's what responsible gun owners wear in the woods while hunting to protect themselves and others. Former First Lady Michelle Obama attended Pendleton's funeral and delivered the commencement address at what would have been her graduation ceremony. Former President Barack Obama talked about her death in his 2013 State of The Union Address. The Obamas announced they were honoring the slain student through the Hadiya Pendleton Atrium at the Obama Presidential Center. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gun sales down in Florida, America. Why the decline?

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store