One day after a kidnapped 3-month-old San Jose baby was found and returned to its mother, many questions remain. At this point, one of the biggest is, what was the motive?
The San Jose Police Department and the FBI, the key agencies investigating the case, have yet to reveal that publicly — if they know. What has emerged is that, despite the family initially saying they didn’t recognize the man caught in surveillance video walking away with baby Brandon, there is some kind of connection between the suspects and the family.
Deleted CHP tweet leads to break in case
Notably, it was a miscommunication between the California Highway Patrol and the San Jose police that actually helped officers track baby Brandon down. Late Monday night, the CHP tweeted out a picture of a minivan that they believed was connected to the kidnapping
The San Jose Police Department later asked the CHP to take that tweet down and not show it anymore, saying it was a miscommunication. But many members of the public had already seen the tweet.
Eventually, the vehicle was identified, leading to the baby’s return, despite no Amber Alert being issued by law enforcement. A nursing home worker, about five miles from where baby Brandon was kidnapped, spotted the minivan and called the police. This tip led to officers arresting three suspects and to the eventual return of baby Brandon to his mother.
What we know about the kidnapping suspects
The three people arrested include the man spotted in the surveillance footage walking away with the baby and a woman who was with the baby’s grandmother before the kidnapping. A third suspect is in custody who is yet to be identified.
It was the baby’s grandmother who was watching Brandon and unloading groceries at the time of the kidnapping while his mother was at work. The baby’s father is incarcerated currently and is out of the picture.