Missing Brothers, 10 And 2, Were Kidnapped By Birth Mother: Police

LOS ANGELES, CA — Authorities are asking for help finding two little boys who were last seen at their foster parents' home in the Westlake District in the early morning hours Thursday.

The boys, 10 and 2, were reported missing at 1:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Officer Rosario Cervantes. Police initially said the boys may be trying to find their mother in South Los Angeles area, but a later AMBER Alert labeled the case a child abduction incident with the boys' birth mother named as the suspect.

AMBER Alert - Los Angeles County
Last seen: W. 52nd St. and Halldale Ave., Los Angeles@LAPDMPU

IF SEEN, CALL 9-1-1 pic.twitter.com/XjhpQ1LNnq
— CHP - Alerts (@CHPAlerts) August 21, 2025

An AMBER Alert issued lated Thursday identified the boys as 2-year-old Derek Rodriguez, a Hispanic boy who stands 2-feet tall and weighs about 20 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark shirt and dark pants.

The 10-year-old brother, Jaden Hernandez, is described as a Hispanic boy who stands 4-feet tall and weighs about 50 to 60 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a dark shirt and dark pants.

Authorities said the boys' biological mother, Jackline Hernandez-Torres, was believed to have abducted the boys from Virgil Avenue and intended to bring them to the area of the 1500 block of W. 52nd Street.

Hernandez-Torres is described as 30 years old. She is 5-feet tall, weighs 120 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a light colored shirt and dark sweatpants.

Jackline is believed to be driving a black 2008 PT Cruiser with an Indiana plate with the license number DFT105.

As of Thursday morning, officers were searching for them in the 300 block of Virgil Avenue.

A police dog was earlier reported to be assisting in the search south of the Westlake District, in the Vermont Square area, where the boys might have gone to be with their biological mother, according to a broadcast report from outside the Westlake apartment building where the foster parents and boys live.

The boys' mother lives in the 1500 block of W. 52nd Street, seven miles away from the children's foster parents, KTLA reported. According to the outlet, the foster parents awoke to the sound of the children opening door, but by the time they went after them, the children could not be found.

City News Service contributed to this report.