American Who Was Kidnapped in Mexico Found Alive After Being Missing for 8 Months

A woman is carried to the back of a white pickup truck in this still image obtained from social media video that allegedly shows the kidnapping of Americans in Matamoros, Mexico, on March 3, 2023. (Video obtained by Reuters)

According to FBI authorities, an American kidnapped in Mexico has been found alive after being missing for eight months and is now safely back home.

Monica De Leon Barba, a U.S. citizen, was reported missing on Nov. 29, 2022, and was taken in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico, as she walked home from work with her dog.

“The FBI is pleased to announce that Monica De Leon Barba is safe and en route to the US where she will be reunited with her family and dog after spending eight months in captivity,” the FBI wrote on Twitter on July 15.

According to the FBI, Ms. De Leon Barba was released by her captors on the evening of July 14.

A Congolese policeman walks as he responds to protests in the Majengo neighborhood of Goma, Congo, on March 22, 2019, following four deaths and 10 kidnappings the previous night by unknown assailants. (Luke Dennison/AFP via Getty Images)

The FBI previously stated that it offered up to $40,000 for information helpful in locating Ms. De Leon Barba. The award announcement in March was the FBI’s first public acknowledgment that it had been investigating the kidnapping.

On July 15, the FBI wrote on social media that authorities have made no arrests and are still investigating the captors’ identities.

“The FBI investigation is far from over, but we can now work this case knowing an innocent victim is reunited with her family,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Ms. De Leon Barba returned home 10 days after her 30th birthday and reunited in the Bay Area with her dog and brother.

“We can finally close this chapter in our lives and work on the long road of healing we have ahead,” her brother, Gustavo De Leon, said in a Facebook post.

At the time, the videos pinpointed at least five suspects involved in the kidnapping and who drove away separately in three vehicles—a white Chevy Suburban, a gray Dodge Charger, and a silver Volkswagen Jetta, according to the agency.

Mr. De Leon said kidnappers had been holding his sister hostage for money since the abduction happened and that they had sent evidence that his sister was still alive.

“For the past eight months, FBI personnel in California and Mexico have worked tirelessly with the family and partners here and in Mexico. Our relief and joy at the safe return of Monica is profound,” Mr. Tripp said in a July 15 statement.

He thanked the Mateo community for its endless support in helping to find Ms. Barba.

The U.S. State Department has a travel advisory in place for Jalisco. The State Department says people should “reconsider travel” there because of “violent crime and gang activity.”

“In Guadalajara, territorial battles between criminal groups occur in tourist areas. Shooting incidents between criminal groups have injured or killed innocent bystanders. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping,” the advisory reads.