UPDATE: 4 children found safe, 2 adults in custody
Apr 20, 2022, 12:29 PM | Updated: 7:42 pm
SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah — South Salt Lake police have canceled an AMBER Alert after two kidnapped children under the age of 3 and two older children were all found safely.
#Utah #AMBERAlert has been canceled South Salt Lake PD: Vehicle #1 4R4KV (UT), tan Ford Explorer. Vehicle #2 P005223105 (UT), gray Dodge Durango. Suspect #1 is Yaneli Murillo who is 5'4" 110 lbs black hair black eyes. Check local media or see https://t.co/9Ygk40uOOR @AMBERAlert
— Utah Public Safety (@UtahDPS) April 20, 2022
Police say the mother and grandmother, the two suspects in the AMBER Alert, turned themselves in by having someone tell police that they were at a home in West Valley City.
That’s where officers took 22-year-old Yaneli Murillo and 38-year-old Maria Murillo into custody.
“I think there was some pressure with it hitting the media,” said Danielle Croyle, public information officer for the South Salt Lake Police Department. “I don’t know the status of the investigation, but yes, it was kind-of-that, ‘We see that this is going on, and there’s a lot of people that know about it, and we need to come up with a way to surrender and turn ourselves in.'”
Wednesday afternoon, police say the women surrendered and the four kids were found unharmed.
“We are so relieved and so thrilled that we located the children, but there is a lot of work still left to be done in regards to what charges will be reviewed or booked for, and then, we’ll also be coordinating with the District Attorney’s Office on what charges will be potentially filed,” Croyle said.
Also, Croyle said the custody hearing Wednesday morning was virtual.
The original version of the article is below:
South Salt Lake police are investigating the kidnapping of two children and said two more are considered endangered.
Police reported the suspects Yaneli Murillo, 22, and Maria Murillo, 38, fled with the children after a court hearing in which custody of the children was awarded to the Utah Division of Family and Child Services.
Yaneli Murillo then allegedly texted the DCFS caseworker that the “children were killed or going to be killed.”
The kidnapped children are David Murillo, 2 months old, and Oaklee Murrillo Becerra, 2.
The suspect was driving a tan 2004 Ford Explorer, with license plate No. 4R4KV and/or a gray 1999 Dodge Durango, with license plate No. P005223105.
Yaneli Murrilo was described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 110 pounds. She has black hair and black eyes and was last seen wearing a black jacket and purple or pink pants.
Maria Murillo was described as 5 feet 4 inches tall with brown hair.
Librado Beccera Murillo, 10, and Rosa Estrella Beccera-Murillo, 11, are considered endangered, but Yaneli Murillo did not lose custody of these children during Wednesday’s hearing.
Rosa was wearing jeans or dark pants and a teal jacket with white balls on top of a hood. She has brown hair and is 4 feet 11 inches tall, weighing about 84 pounds.
Librado was wearing black or dark pants and a red t-shirt. He has brown hair and is 5 feet 1 inch tall, weighing about 95 pounds
Anyone with information on their whereabouts was asked to call police at 801-940-6179 or dial 911.
#Utah #AMBERAlert has been issued: Child's Life In Danger! South Salt Lake PD: Child's Life In Danger! Vehicle #1 4R4KV (UT), tan Ford Explorer. Vehicle #2 P005223105 (UT), gray Dodge Durango. Victim #1 is Aaron Murillo who is an infant. See https://t.co/9Ygk40uOOR @AMBERAlert
— Utah Public Safety (@UtahDPS) April 20, 2022
