Police Close Cold Case From 2007, Reunite Mother With Daughter Kidnapped As 6-Year-Old

A Florida police department announced Monday they reunited a girl with her mother after the girl, then six, was kidnapped and eventually taken to Mexico.

Clermont Police Department closed the case Sept. 2 when Angelica Vences-Salgado called authorities to report that she was contacted, via social media, by a girl claiming to be her kidnapped daughter, Jacqueline Hernandez. Hernandez told Vences-Salgado she was in Mexico and the pair set up a meeting at a point of entry located along the Texas border Sept. 10.

Authorities from several law enforcement agencies in Florida worked with the Homeland Security Investigations in Texas and “coordinated a plan to intercept the victim” and determine whether the woman was actually Hernandez.

While Hernandez and Vences-Salgado were meeting along the point of entry, the Laredo Police Department intercepted the pair, and after an investigation, confirmed Hernandez’s identity. (RELATED: Police Find Missing 6-Week-Old Baby After Woman Stole Vehicle With Infant Inside)

“This is a prime example of what can be accomplished when multiple law enforcement agencies and their respective communities work cooperatively together and maintain open lines of communication,” Clermont Police Chief Charles Broadway said. “In this case, several agencies in different counties and states across the nation were able to create a force multiplier and aid in reuniting the victim with her mother after 14 years.”

Hernandez was abducted from her mother in 2007, allegedly by her father, Pablo Hernandez, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. A felony warrant was issued for Pablo days after the kidnapping, with authorities having warned Pablo was likely to travel to Mexico.

It is unclear what happened to Hernandez after she was kidnapped and police have not released details regarding her abduction. It also remains unclear where Pablo is located.