The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A woman who was suspected of two separate incidents involving the abductions of toddlers in Los Angeles last week has been arrested as the perpetrator of one of the alleged kidnappings.
On Tuesday, the surveillance camera at a downtown Los Angeles McDonald’s recorded a 4-year-old child standing by himself near one of the tables. A woman can be seen approaching the boy before she picked him up and carried him towards the door of the restaurant. The woman was chased away when an onlooker intervened as the woman was allegedly trying to place the child inside a vehicle.
The following day, a toddler was walking with a relative when a woman reportedly tried to snatch the child. It was reported that she was unsuccessful in the alleged incident when the person with the child became suspicious of her behavior chased her away.
The authorities reviewed and released the video captured at McDonald’s to the public, which led them to a 33-year-old woman from Arizona named Maralyn Ramos. Due to the similarities in the two alleged attempted kidnappings, the police assumed that Ramos was the person responsible for both incidents.
When it was discovered that a video of the second incident was recorded from a nearby eatery’s surveillance equipment the authorities watched the contents and determined that Ramos was not, in fact, the perpetrator of that event.
Just before 11:00 pm on Wednesday night, Ramos was found in a car that was believed to have been stolen, and she was taken into custody.
On Friday, Ramos appeared in court for the accusations. She issued a statement before her hearing and said that she wasn’t trying to take the child, but had found him by himself and wanted to assist him in locating his parents.
Ramos was charged for suspicion of kidnapping, and grand theft auto, to which she entered pleas of not guilty. The judge ordered bail in the amount of $175,000 and Ramos was placed back in jail.
If her case goes to trial and she is found guilty of the accusations, Ramos could be issued a sentence of nearly 12 years of incarceration.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.