OAN Staff Brook Mallory
5:55pm – Thursday, May 1st, 2025
The two non-citizens, along with their third accomplice who fled, accused their North Carolina mother and young daughter at muzzle Monday after their family refused a $1 million ransom, according to the Garner Police Department.
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Paola Duran Duran, 25, her brother Miguel Angel Duran Duran, 23, and 37-year-old Eleonodro “Leo” Estrada Hernandez, who fled the police, are accused of adjusting the invitation before eventually releasing the victim.
The mother and child later called for evacuation by knocking on the door of a stranger's house.
“The Garner Police Department is grateful that these victims were safely recovered,” police said in a statement. “We are grateful for the support of the community we tirelessly strive to arrest the person responsible and to clarify the motives behind this crime.”
The brother was taken into custody Wednesday, with the third suspect, Estrada Hernandez, still a massive one. Anyone with information that leads to his arrest is being offered a $10,000 reward.
According to local accounts, the two arrested individuals were illegal in the United States and were under ice holdings. According to the FBI, the third suspect is a Mexican citizen, but it is unclear which country they came from.
The ordeal began Monday night, when three masked individuals armed with firearms were dressed in the residence of their young mother's husband, Elijandro Martinez, and said they had requested a significant amount of money.
Police said the victim told investigators that the perpetrator had asked for $1 million, but Martinez refused.
In response, the suspects allegedly later duct tape was used to hold Martinez in his wife, 26-year-old Alondora Michel Benitez de Jesus, and his 11-month-old daughter, Gresia Salome Alejandro Benitez.
“Investigators quickly unveiled the evidence and began chasing multiple leads to find the victim,” a press release from the Garner County Police Department said.
The suspect eventually released his mother and her young daughter, who desperately sought help by urgently knocking on the door of a nearby residence early Tuesday morning, authorities explained.
The homeowner then contacted emergency services and responding officers safely retrieved the victim.
Less than 24 hours after acquiring, perpetrators Paola Duran Duran and Miguel Angel Duran Duran were taken into custody following a coordinated investigation conducted by local law enforcement, the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The two criminal relatives are currently being charged with multiple counts of the invitation. The FBI is still searching for a third suspect charged with multiple counts, including tricks and assault.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about Estrada Hernandez's location to call the FBI toll-dipline at the Garner Police Station Crime Stopper (919) 834-4357 or 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
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