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OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:55 PM – Thursday, May 1, 2025
According to the Garner Police Department, two non-citizens, along with an escaped third accomplice, abducted a North Carolina mother and her infant daughter at gunpoint on Monday after the family declined to pay a $1 million ransom.
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Paola Duran Duran, 25, her brother Miguel Angel Duran Duran, 23, and Eleodoro “Leo” Estrada-Hernandez, 37, who escaped from police, are accused of orchestrating the kidnapping before ultimately releasing the victims.
The mother and child later sought refuge by knocking on the door of a stranger’s home.
“The Garner Police Department is thankful these victims were recovered safely,” the police said in a statement. “We appreciate the support of our community as we work tirelessly to arrest the suspects responsible and uncover the motive behind this crime.”
The siblings were taken into custody on Wednesday, while Estrada-Hernandez, the third suspect, is still at large. A $10,000 reward is being offered to anyone who has information leading to his arrest.
According to local accounts, the two apprehended individuals were illegally in the United States and were under ICE hold. It is unclear what country they hail from, although the third suspect is a Mexican national, according to the FBI.
The ordeal began on Monday night when three masked individuals, armed with firearms, forced themselves inside the residence of Eliuth Alejandro Martinez, the young mother’s husband, demanding a substantial sum of money — authorities said.
According to police, the victims told investigators that the assailants demanded $1 million, which Martinez refused.
In response, the suspects then purportedly restrained Martinez with duct tape before abducting his wife, 26-year-old Alondra Michelle Benitez De Jesus, and their 11-month-old daughter, Grecia Salome Alejandro-Benitez, fleeing the scene in a black Nissan Altima
“Investigators quickly uncovered evidence and began to follow multiple leads to locate the victims,” stated a press release from the Garner County Police Department.
The suspects eventually released the mother and her infant daughter, who frantically sought help by urgently knocking on the door of a nearby residence during the early morning hours of Tuesday, authorities explained.
The homeowner subsequently contacted emergency services, and responding officers safely recovered the victims.
Less than 24 hours after the abduction, 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 State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The two criminal relatives have now been charged with multiple counts of kidnapping. The FBI is still searching for the third suspect, who is charged with multiple counts — including kidnapping and assault.
Authorities are asking anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Estrada-Hernandez to call the Garner Police Department Crime Stoppers at (919) 834-4357 or the FBI’s Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
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