Suspect in Kidnapping That Triggered an AMBER Alert Charged

(KNSI) — The person accused of abducting a two-year-old on March 17th has officially been charged.

According to police, a woman called 911 about 4:30 a.m. to say her child, Robert Ramirez, was missing. The woman told officers she was at work Wednesday night, and Robert was in the care of a family member who told her Robert had been put to bed at 8:00. She said when she went to bed, Robert was not there. She said they searched the entire house for the child before calling 911. During the search, a note was found that asked for forgiveness for taking Robert and indicated the abduction was planned out.

Police say they saw footprints in the snow outside the child’s bedroom window. A K9 officer alerted Robert’s scent going from the home to the driveway where the scent was lost.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was called in to assist with the investigation. Investigators spoke with Robert’s father and family, who they determined had no involvement in his disappearance, and an AMBER Alert was issued.

The child’s mother told police that a man she knew as Benigno Alvarez was “very fond of her son.” She said Alvarez would often hug Robert, take pictures of him, and buy him things. She said Alvarez had pictures of her son on his Facebook page, but they were no longer there. She told investigators that he had moved to California as far as she knew because he called her Monday, March 14th, and told her he was there and said she should move there with him. She said Alvarez expressed an interest in dating her, but she had refused. She said Alvarez had been to her home and knew the layout, including where Robert’s bedroom was, and she also knew her work schedule because he had given her rides in the past.

Before 9:00 Thursday night, police say a tip came in from the manager at the restaurant where Alvarez reportedly worked. Employees say they saw an employee they know as Victor Ramirez Alvarez at about 8:15 p.m. They said he was with a child that looked like the one from the AMBER Alert. The manager told investigators they didn’t know he had a child but told them five days ago that he would be bringing his son in for a visit.

Police went to Alvarez’s home in Big Lake and found the clothing Robert was last seen wearing, but no sign of Robert.

Police say they found Alvarez about 11:15 p.m. and pulled him over, but Robert was not in the vehicle.

In a sworn statement to police, Alvarez said he made a mistake when he took Robert and admitted he didn’t tell the child’s mother to tell her what he did. He said he dropped Robert off in an empty garage at an acquaintance’s house but that no one was home.

The criminal complaint says at 11:47 p.m., a woman called 911 to say Robert was in her garage in Zion Township in rural Stearns County. Investigators interviewed the homeowners who said they found Robert in a booster-style car seat in their garage, but no one told them he was there.

Police responded and took the child to St. Cloud Hospital for evaluation before being released to his mother.

Alvarez is charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of deprivation of rights.

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