Posted on 08/29/2002 6:51:38 PM PDT by Shermy
PALM DESERT, Calif. -- The mother of a boy abducted at gunpoint from his father's home was declared a suspect in his disappearance Thursday by authorities who said they had also recovered the woman's pickup truck in Nevada.
Authorities were also searching for Debra Rose's roommate, Carla Bender Riverside County Sheriff-elect Bob Doyle told a late-afternoon news conference.
"We have upgraded both Debra Rose (pictured at left, on right) and Carla Bender (pictured at left, on left) to suspect status. We do believe that they are intimately involved in the kidnapping of Nicholas at this time," Doyle said.
The sheriff also played a tape of a frantic 911 call Nicholas' father made to authorities minutes after his son was abducted Wednesday morning.
"A house break-in. They stole my son, my son. He's 9 years old," a breathless Michael Farber tells a police dispatcher.
Nicholas, the subject of a bitter custody dispute, was violently taken Wednesday morning from the Palm Desert home where he lived with his father. The kidnappers, two gunmen, fled in a white sport utility vehicle, which has not been recovered.
He added that authorities located Debra Rose's pickup truck in Primm, Nev., an area near the California-Nevada line commonly called Stateline that is not far from Las Vegas. Authorities are still looking for a white sport utility vehicle Farber told them the kidnappers fled in.
"The white SUV is still outstanding. We still need additional information on that," he said.
Doyle thanked the media and the public for their assistance, adding that a tip from a private citizen led them to the gray pick-up truck they were searching for.
He said $46,000 in reward money has been offered for information leading to Nicholas' whereabouts, including $25,000 from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors and $20,000 from the FBI.
"We still feel that the child could be in danger," Doyle said. "We are dealing with two individuals who violently took him from the house, and how they are associated with Debra and Carla at this time we are still investigating."
Earlier, Farber pleaded for the safe return of his son.
"As soon as we can get him home I'd really be happy," he told a televised news conference.
"If my ex-wife is out there somewhere and she just hasn't come forward, please come forward now and save us this," he said.
Farber, whose face was bruised, said the men attacked him before carrying off his son, who was clad only in his underwear.
"Before I knew it they had overcome me and given me a pretty good beating and taken my son away," he said.
Farber, 47, got Nicholas when Rose was arrested two weeks ago in Colorado and held for a day for allegedly violating a restraining order involving an ex-husband. An Orange County, Calif., court granted him temporary custody on Aug. 23 and a Sept. 5 hearing had been set on his bid for permanent custody.
Investigators released a composite sketch of one suspect described as possibly Hispanic, 5-feet-8, 175 pounds, in his early 30s, with a medium build and a goatee, dressed in a dark sweat suit and carrying a dark-colored bag.
There was no composite sketch for the other gunman because he wore a nylon stocking or mask over his face. He was described only as 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds.
Farber traveled to Colorado Springs this summer to find Nicholas, whom he tracked down through his ex-wife's fifth husband, Brent Landrum, according to child custody documents filed in Orange County Superior Court.
Another of Rose's ex-husbands, Stanley Rose, appeared in a Colorado Springs court Thursday and was granted a permanent restraining order against her.
Stanley Rose's attorney, Jeffrey Watson, said his client was worried about Nicholas because he raised him between the ages of 2 and 8.
"His concern lies with the safety of Nicholas. He has a relationship with him even though he is not his biological father," Watson said.
Karyl Elliott, manager of Carla Bender's rented house, said the FBI searched the house Wednesday and removed items. Agents returned Thursday to talk to neighbors.
Betty Blake, who lives across the street, said she never saw a woman living there. A clean-cut man in his 30s, who appeared to live there, offered her a ride to work in his beige van Sunday. She said the van was towed from the house Wednesday.
Bender was being evicted because she failed to pay any rent since signing a lease effective July 1. She failed to appear in court Wednesday for an eviction hearing.
No one answered at the house Thursday. The shades were drawn, the lawn was brown and all the flowers dead. The eviction notice was posted on the front door.
At a press conference Thursday morning, Doyle said that Bender is probably traveling with her 12-year-old son, Keenan, and may be traveling with Rose.
"We are looking everywhere" for Nicholas, Doyle told reporters.
"We feel that possibly by locating these people they'll have information hopefully that can help lead us to where Nicholas is or possibly Nicholas is traveling with one of these two," said John Kaiser of Riverside Sheriff's Department.
"This is still a kidnapping and we need to treat it as such," said Kaiser when discussing possible custody issues in the kidnapping case. "We want to bring Nicholas home quickly, safely and unharmed."
Following Wednesday's abduction, California Highway Patrol and Riverside County authorities initially said they were issuing an Amber Alert, notifying the media and the public about the missing boy. But later in the morning, CHP Officer Douglas Kondo said they had instead posted a regional child abduction alert.
Kondo said the case did not yet merit an Amber Alert because authorities did not have specific information such as the vehicle's license number.
The alert system was adopted in California after the slaying earlier this year of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion in Orange County. The alerts are named for a 9-year-old Texas girl kidnapped in 1996 and later found dead.
FBI spokesman Matt McLaughlin emphasized that the crime was being investigated as an abduction by strangers but that all avenues were being pursued.
"Everything is still in play. We have not ruled anything out," McLaughlin said.
The California Highway Patrol and FBI joined Riverside deputies in the search for the boy, described as white, 53 inches tall and weighing 55 pounds and has brown hair with blond highlights. He was last seen wearing Fruit of the Loom underwear.
"We will find you," McManus said at a televised news conference, urging the kidnappers to leave the boy at a safe location, such as a fire station or a hospital.
"Our main concern is to get the kidnapped child back," McManus said.
The latest in a series of child abductions that has frightened Southern California this year occurred in a white, single-story home in an upper middle-class neighborhood near desert resorts 120 miles east of Los Angeles.
Deputies arrived at the home two minutes after Michael Farber's 2:08 a.m. call but there was a delay in getting a description of the kidnappers because the father was hurt and had to be treated at a hospital.
Neighbor Andy Larios said that he was awakened by Nicholas' father screaming. He went to his window and saw a man running with the boy in his arms. "(The police) got there pretty fast," Larios said.
Nicholas' father was treated at Eisenhower Hospital for cuts and bruises and was released at 5:10 a.m., according to NBC4. Authorities are questioning Farber to get more information about the incident.
"The father was injured and, quite rightly, in a state of shock," McManus said.
Investigators released a composite sketch (pictured below) of one suspect described as possibly Hispanic, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 175 pounds, in his early 30s, with a medium build and a goatee, dressed in a dark sweat suit and carrying a dark-colored bag.
The second suspect is a black or Hispanic man who is 6 feet 3 inches tall and 250 pounds. His age is not known. He was last seen wearing dark sweats and a brown nylon stocking over his head and face.
The boy's father told investigators he saw three or four people in the white SUV.
There was at least one other witness, a child who saw Nicholas being taken to the vehicle, an FBI spokesman said.
Rose was arrested by Colorado Springs police on Aug. 15 for violating a temporary restraining order, said Lt. Melissa Hartmen of the El Paso County sheriff's office.
According to records released by the 4th Judicial District Court in Colorado Springs, the order was taken out against Rose on Aug. 5 by an ex-husband, Stanley Rose of Colorado Springs. She was ordered to stay away from Stanley Rose and two children, 6-year-old Winter Rose and 5-year-old Dane Rose.
Debra Rose was arrested after Stanley Rose reported she called him several times in violation of the order. Stanley Rose also told police that Debra Rose's estranged husband called him twice. The records did not identify the estranged husband.
Rose was arraigned Aug. 16 and was set for an Oct. 9 trial on the misdemeanor.
"The FBI came over here earlier today and asked some questions," said Colorado Springs resident Lucia Harrison, who lives next door to where Rose lived with four children for a few months until moving away about two weeks ago.
In Orange County, an Aug. 23 filing in a family court case was set for a Sept. 5 hearing. Details of the case, which dates to 1995, were not immediately available.
Michael Farber was renting a room in the Palm Desert home where the abduction occurred, said Ralph Pierce, 72, of San Marcos, who is the uncle of a Los Angeles woman who owns the house. Pierce learned of the abduction when he arrived to do kitchen remodeling.
Pierce said Michael Farber, who works at a local restaurant, had told him he recently flew to Colorado and got his son after learning of his wife's arrest.
"Michael went after him two or three weeks ago," Pierce said. "Somebody called him about it."
Michael Farber traveled to Colorado Springs this summer to find Nicholas, whom he tracked down through his ex-wife's fifth husband, Brent Landrum, the Orange County Superior Court documents said.
When he found Nicholas, Farber wrote, his son was "tired, dirty, unkept and hungry," the documents claimed.
In a declaration filed with the court, Stanley Rose said the boy's mother abuses morphine, Demerol and other drugs. She has no permanent address or job and survives on unemployment and child support, Stanley Rose said.
The boy's mother has been married five times, according to court documents, and has used the names Debra Marie Landrum, Debra Marie Rose and Debra Marie Farber.
People in the neighborhood of homes with well-kept lawns and cactus and rock gardens awoke Wednesday to find deputies guarding the abduction scene.
"I'm a little scared," said Domenic Pomponio, 12, who was out riding his bike.
Domenic, who had never seen Nicholas, said his mother let him out to play but was keeping an eye on him. "She said be careful," he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the Riverside County Sheriff's Department at (760) 836-1632.
U.G. - maybe coming your way.
Maybe they studied Janet Reno's example for this one.
I just hope they get all the children back to their respective fathers. Apparently there are 5 more involved and some of them may be along with the women.
Apparently Drudge: Hannity hits #3 on NYT Bestseller List is considered by the powers at FR more worthy of attention.
WHAT????? They issued an alert for the one little girl and the guy who had to take an early morning swim. ( So sorry I can not remember the angel's name)They just knew she was gone and that was enough to issue an alert.
But a little boy gets abducted and they don't!!!!
When I heard about this, all I kept thinking about was the poor, sad story of the little guy abused and tourtured by gays. I wondered if this decision wasn't based on PC. That would be so disgusting, but in today's world who knows.
At least know that the mom might be involved. I pray that she is and the chlid safe.
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