American woman believed kidnapped in Mexico has ties to SoCal; FBI offers reward
The FBI suspects a 63-year-old American with ties to Southern California was kidnapped from her home in Mexico this year and is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that leads to her location.
Maria del Carmen Lopez was abducted from her home in Pueblo Nuevo in the state of Colima on Feb. 9, according to the FBI’s Los Angeles office.
Lopez is 5 feet 2 and 160 pounds with blond hair, brown eyes and permanently tattooed eyeliner, the FBI said.
“We have no evidence at this time that it is” a drug-related kidnap, said Laura Eimiller, a spokesperson for the FBI in L.A.
Mexico kidnapping: Two Americans are killed and two are rescued after being caught in crossfire in a violent border city. It has sparked international tension.
“She is an American citizen, and she has family here in both Los Angeles and Riverside counties,” Eimiller said. She added that Lopez had lived in Southern California but currently resides in Mexico and “goes back and forth.”
Anyone with information about her location can contact the FBI or the nearest American embassy or consulate. The FBI field office in L.A. can be reached at (310) 477-6565. Information can also be submitted at tips.fbi.gov.
Times staff writer Terry Castleman contributed to this report.
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