Family Friend Suspected Of Conspiring To Kidnap San Jose Baby: DA

SAN JOSE, CA — A family friend was suspected of conspiring to kidnap a 3-month-old baby from his grandmother in San Jose on Tuesday, setting off a search that garnered nationwide attention, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

The family friend, 43-year-old Yesenia Ramirez, along with 28-year-old Jose Portillo, were both charged with kidnapping. They were arraigned in court Thursday afternoon.

"The kidnapping of Baby Brandon sent a shudder through our whole community, not just us parents,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a news release. “The San Jose Police – who worked through the night to find and rescue this child – are the heroes of this story. Now, my Office will go to work to hold his kidnappers accountable.”

The baby, Brandon Cuellar, was found hours after he went missing at Portillo’s home around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the district attorney’s office said. He was examined at a hospital and uninjured.

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Prosecutors cited surveillance footage showing Ramirez taking Brandon’s grandmother – who was watching the baby while his mother was at work – to a Walmart store. Upon returning to their apartment in the 1000 block of Elm Street, the grandmother left Brandon on a bed to unload groceries. By the time she returned to the bed a few minutes later, Brandon was missing, according to prosecutors.

Security footage then showed a man — who prosecutors said was Portillo — walking toward the apartment carrying an infant car seat covered by a blanket. Portillo then left the apartment “with a noticeably heavier car seat” in a car registered to Ramirez, according to prosecutors.

San Jose police arrested Portillo at his apartment in the 2000 block of Mathers Street, where they found Brandon.

Prosecutors later found baby formula, diapers and a baby rocker after executing a search warrant on Ramirez’s residence. The diapers were the same size worn by Brandon.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the investigation Tuesday, going door-to-door in an effort to locate witnesses or any other information related to the case.

Ramirez and Portillo were remanded to jail without bail at the request of the district attorney’s office and they face prison time if convicted.