For a moment, Lucila Barrientos feared she would never see her baby again.
“Pero a la vez yo tenía mucha fe,” in Spanish Barrientos said he held on to his faith and the work of the Fort Worth Police Department.
On Monday evening, Barrientos told police that he left the car in gear while entering his sister-in-law’s house with her five-year-old daughter.
According to Barrientos, she never leaves her children in the car unattended. She admits she doesn’t know what he was thinking.
He came in to drop off an article. In less than five minutes, he was back outside to get into his car.
In Spanish, Barrientos said he couldn’t believe his car was no longer there. She said she started crying and screaming. Barrientos later called 911 and told police a man drove off in her car with her baby in the car seat.
As police worked to locate the suspect, Barrientos said he continued to pray.
Barrientos’ prayer was that the suspect would find it in his heart not to harm the child.
Police said Elliot Reyes, 25, stole the car and left the baby hidden behind a guardrail at the end of a cul-de-sac.
Within two hours, Barrientos was reunited with her baby. The police were also able to return his vehicle. But like many, he watched the moment police officers found the baby, who was still in a car carrier, online.
She said it was hard to see and hear her son cry. Although he was not physically harmed, Barrientos said his son is startled by the loud noises.
Although the video is hard to watch, she said she feels grateful to the officers but also to the suspect.
Barrientos is thankful that his son doesn’t have a scratch or a bruise. The police were also able to recover his vehicle.
Barrientos said he will continue to pray for the safety and work of police officers. Without their help, she fears she may never have found her baby.
The parents are not expected to face any charges, according to Fort Worth police.
Online jail records show Reyes is being held on charges of burglary of a building, theft of property and child abandonment or endangerment with bond totaling $68,000. Reyes faces an additional charge of attempted capital murder of a person under the age of 10.
