Jul 5, 2008 8:24 pm US/Pacific
Motorhome Found; Dad, Kidnapped Boy Still Missing
PORTOLA HILLS
Police are still asking for the public to be on the lookout for a man who reportedly shot his estranged wife before kidnapping the couple's 9-year-old son. Authorities announced Saturday afternoon that a rented motorhome that Lonnie Ramos was driving to get to the Mexican border was recovered in a city near Yuma, Arizona.
Ramos, 46, allegedly shot his wife Gynnae Ramos, just after 6:30 Wednesday in the Southern Orange County community of Portola Hills, just outside the location where he was expected to return the boy as part of the couple's custody agreement.
A 39-foot purple and gold-colored Fleetwood Providence motorhome has been recovered in Andrade, California, a city 5 miles west of Yuma, Arizona and about 160 miles east of San Diego.
Mrs. Ramos was shot in the face. She was taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in critical condition. She is expected to make a full recovery.
Wednesday evening police issued a statewide Amber Alert.
Ramos has family ties in Washington, D.C. and Texas, according to the Orange County Register.
Police say Ramos tried to buy plane tickets at John Wayne Airport on Wednesday but was refused because he didn't want to show identification at the ticket counter.
Jim Amormino, spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, said Ramos is believed to have reached Mexico. "Witnesses stated the suspect and the abducted child were last seen crossing the border."
He added that the motorhome might have been left in Yuma as a ruse to throw police off Ramos' trail.
Amormino speculated that Ramos and his son might have even double-backed into the United States.
Police said that also still missing are two of Ramos's vehicles: a 1992 red Porsche 944 convertible with a black top, California license plate 4BWU827; and a 2004 white Chevy Suburban, California license plate 5LTC712.
The elder Ramos is 6 feet 3 inches tall, 180 pounds, and has brown hair. He was last seen wearing a tan baseball cap, blue shirt and khaki pants.
Anyone who has seen Ramos, the child, or either missing vehicle is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff's Department at 714-628-7170.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
