Florida mother reunited with daughter who was abducted in 2007, police say

The mother of a girl who was abducted from her home at 6 years old was reunited with her daughter after nearly 14 years, authorities in Florida said Monday.

Angelica Vences-Salgado called authorities on Sep. 2 after she received a social media message from someone claiming to be Jacqueline Hernandez, the child she had not seen or heard from since 2007, according to the Clermont Police Department. Hernandez was allegedly abducted by her father, Pablo Hernandez, in Clermont, Florida, and a felony warrant for kidnapping was issued for him in December of that year.

Angelica Vences-Salgado was reunited with her daughter, Jacqueline Hernandez, on Sept. 10, 2021. Hernandez, now 19, was abducted in 2007 in Clermont, Fla.Clermont Police Department

In the social media message, the woman claiming to be Jacqueline Hernandez told Vences-Salgado she was in Mexico and asked her to meet her Friday at the point of entry in Laredo, Texas, police said. After an investigation, authorities verified the woman as Vences-Salgado’s child.

Officials “determined that the female was indeed Jacqueline Hernandez who was abducted from her mother in 2007. At approximately 4:55pm, Jacqueline, now 19 years old, was successfully reunited with her mother,” police said in a news release that included a photo of the women smiling and embracing one another.

Clermont Police Department Capt. Michael McMaster told NBC News Tuesday that there was an active warrant for Pablo Hernandez, 43. “We are still working with other law enforcement agencies to locate him,” McCaster said.

He said it was unclear why Jacqueline Hernandez chose to reach out to her mother now. The family is currently declining media interviews, and details on Jacqueline Hernandez’s life since her kidnapping have not been released.

source: nbcnews.com