Wyoming state trooper found child at center of Amber Alert in broken down car
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ROCK SPRINGS, Wyoming — Wyoming state troopers found a child at the center of an Idaho Falls Amber alert in a broken down car in rural Wyoming.
On Friday, the Idaho Falls Police Department said that 10-yer-old Derek Jesus Abitia Rodriguez was missing and possibly abducted. Later that night, an Amber alert was issued and sent to authorities in Idaho and surrounding states. By Sunday morning, the Wyoming Highway Patrol found Derek safe and arrested two adults, including his non-custodial mother.
The Amber alert listed the mother, 30-year-old Gabriella A. Rodriguez, as a suspect and possibly driving in a 2006 Blue Chrysler Sebring sedan with Colorado license plate DHR259. The Wyoming Highway Patrol said in a Facebook post that when notified of the Amber Alert, they were told the Chrysler could be heading towards Pueblo, Colorado, the home of Rodriguez.
On Sunday, just after 7 a.m., a Wyoming Highway Patrol received notification of a broken down vehicle in the road on Wyoming Highway 30, south of Rock Springs. The trooper found the vehicle and realized similarities to the car in the Amber Alert.
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The trooper spoke with the driver, 35-year-old Eugene A. Trujillo, who gave “inconsistent and vague responses,” WHP said. The trooper first said he was alone in the car, but once detained, admitted that Rodriguez and Derek were also inside the vehicle.
The trooper had Derek and Rodriguez step out of the car. WHP reports the trooper uncovered misdemeanor amounts of marijuana and methamphetamine.
The Wyoming Department of Family Services later took custody of Derek.
Trujillo has been charged in Wyoming with kidnapping, interference with custody, accessory before the fact, and child endangerment with methamphetamine.
Rodriguez has been charged in Wyoming with kidnapping, interference with custody, child endangerment with methamphetamine, and two counts of third-offense possession of a controlled substance.
Details surrounding the alleged abduction in Idaho Falls have not yet been released. Idaho Falls Police Department spokeswoman Jessica Clements said the incident remains under investigation. Clements also said the Department thanks WHP for safely finding Derek.
It is not yet clear if Trujillo and Rodriguez will face charges in Idaho for the alleged abduction of Derek.