On Monday, a shocking story out of Apopka, Florida, made headlines for being every parent's worst nightmare: Lester Mejia told cops that his 3-year-old daughter was abducted right from his driveway, by a group of strangers who sped away with her. But now, reports are surfacing that seem to suggest the father may have lied about two crucial details — though it was all allegedly in an effort to protect his daughter.
Meija told authorities that the kidnapping happened around 6 a.m., after he loaded his daughter Madeline into her car seat.
Before heading off to work, the father said he realized he'd forgotten his keys inside, and ran back in to grab them, only to hear his daughter's screams outside. Once Mejia ran back to the driveway, he claimed to see a black Honda speed off with his daughter inside.
The panicked father allegedly hopped in his car and proceeded to follow the vehicle to the nearby interstate.
Noticing he'd left his cellphone behind, he had to make a fateful decision: Continue following the car, or return back to his home so he could call police and alert them that his daughter had been taken.
Mejia decided to do the latter.
The worried father said he called 911, told the dispatcher what had happened, and relayed the license plate information.
Moments later, an Amber Alert was issued, which notified police in the area, media outlets, and residents who are signed up to receive alerts.
The extra eyeballs on the road helped beyond measure, and within hours, the vehicle had been spotted by police in an overhead chopper.
Nearly six hours after she'd gone missing, troopers on the ground located the black Honda on a highway some 200 miles away in Tallahassee.
Four adults in the car were arrested and the little girl was taken into custody, where she was later happily reunited with her father.
Lt. Kim Montes told WFTV that Madeline was “scared” after being through what was obviously a "very traumatic" experience.
“It was anguish not knowing what was happening to my daughter,” Mejia said. “I’m happy for my baby coming back.”
After a second round of police interviews with the father, it seems Mejia may have misled authorities about several key details.
For starters, the people who abducted Madeline weren't a group of strangers after all. In fact, they included her mother, Tania Fortin-Duarte, 18, and her boyfriend, Kevin Olmeda-Velis, 19, WTXL reported. The couple is being held at Leon County Jail.
Mejia also admitted to detectives that he was actually at work at the time of the abduction, and Madeline was being watched by a relative at home. It was the unnamed relative who contacted him about the little girl's kidnapping, saying that her mom took her, which is what led him to call authorities, according to ABC Action News.
Still, that doesn't mean the kidnapping story was a total ruse. Madeline was unlawfully abducted.
Mejia has custody of Madeline, so when Fortin-Duarte took her from her father's home without notice or warning, she was breaking the law, according to WLTX. Now, both she and her boyfriend face charges of interference with custody.
As for why Mejia lied, authorities say they believe he felt he had no other choice.
Apparently, the father had told a dispatcher the truth initially as he was driving home, but didn't believe authorities took his claims seriously enough.
"Mr. Mejia was allegedly told by an unknown dispatch center that there was no crime if the mother has the child," police said Tuesday, according to WTSP. "Given that information, Mr. Mejia was scared he would not see his daughter again so he provided the abduction story in hopes it would assist in recovering his daughter."
And in the end, it did.
The Apopka Police Department is still investigating the incident, but officers told WTSP they are grateful that Madeline is safe and sound with her father, who appears to only have had her best interest at heart from the beginning.
"Although Mr. Mejia was not forth coming with the information he provided to the Apopka Police Department he did have lawful custody of his daughter and Ms. Duarte unlawfully removed Madeline from his custody," the statement noted. "The Apopka Police Department continues to investigate this matter, and is thankful that Madeline was found safe and returned to Mr. Mejia."
