Mexico Kidnapping: FBI Offers $40,000 to Find Missing Bay Area Woman

Monica de Leon Barba, a Bay Area woman and a victim of Mexico kidnapping in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, in November, is still missing.

The FBI offers up to a $40,000 reward for information leading to her safe return, CBS News noted.

The agency issued a reward in Mexico on Thursday to revive the cold case, which has caused increasing worry over time.

It has been reported that the 29-year-old was coerced into a van, according to a flyer on a Facebook page to help find her. Her family in Tepatitlán has become increasingly frustrated with the government since then.

"We would ask Mexican officials to also place the importance that this case merits into finding my sister who was abducted in plain daylight, blocks from a national guard station," her brother, Gustavo, said in a family statement.

Recent Mexico Kidnapping Incidents Prompt Monica de Leon Barba's Family to Revive Her Case

Over a thousand people from Monica De Leon's extended family and local community have joined the Facebook group "Help Us Find Monica De Leon" to disseminate the word about the missing woman, according to SFGATE.

"Since the time of my sister's kidnapping, we have all seen the news of multiple U.S. Citizens that have been robbed of their freedom while traveling in Mexico," Gustavo De Leon wrote Thursday in the Facebook group following the announcement of FBI reward.

"We cannot allow this to be the status quo, and I will not allow my sister to become another statistic of cowardice and inaction in politics," the post continues,

According to the FBI, this follows a string of kidnappings of American residents in Mexico over the past few months.

The FBI has stated that on March 3, four U.S. citizens were abducted in Matamoros, in Tamaulipas, just across the border from Texas.

Maria del Carmen Lopez, 63, was likely kidnapped on February 9 from Pueblo Nuevo, Colima.

Crime and kidnapping have prompted the U.S. Department of State to issue a "Do Not Travel" advice for the states of Colima and Tamaulipas and a "Reconsider Travel" warning for the state of Jalisco.

Monica de Leon Barba's Mexico Kidnapping

Monica de Leon Barba was last seen by her family in late November while on vacation in Mexico.

The 29-year-old was abducted on November 29 in Tepatitlán de Morelos, a municipality in the Mexican state of Jalisco close to the metropolis of Guadalajara.

According to reports, de Leon was "forced into a van" between 5 and 6 p.m. on November 29 as she walked to the FIT 4 LIFE club.

She was "last seen" walking her dog, which was later discovered abandoned on the street, according to a post on her social media page.

The last time de Leon was seen was when she was heading to the gym with her dog to meet some friends, according to her friend Mandy Shold.

"When she didn't show up to the gym, her gym friends were a little worried, and they went looking for her and found her dog, fully leashed and out loose in the city," Shold said.

Monica de Leon Barba's family has pleaded with California Congresswoman Jackie Speier and Senator Alex Padilla to aid in the search for de Leon following the Mexico kidnapping incident.

"I am actively engaged in the case and daily contact with the family and various federal agencies. We must do everything possible to find Monica," said Speier.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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