Criminal Justice
Crystal Mendez and Tayana | Courtesy San Jose Police
Update: The allegedly kidnapped infant daughter Tayana Lewis has been found safe and returned to officers. The suspect remains at large.
We have located Tayana. She is safe and with our Officers; we are coordinating her return to San José. She was located with at a relatives home in the city of Oakland.
— San José Police Media Relations (@SJPD_PIO) February 17, 2023
Suspect Mendez is still at large. She is still wanted for this incident.
We appreciate all the RTs. pic.twitter.com/441SFpzliX
A woman with reported ties to San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood has allegedly abducted her 2–year–old daughter from San Jose, police announced Thursday morning.
Crystal Mendez, who is reportedly a "heavy drug user," was last seen at the Coliseum BART Station in Oakland Wednesday. Her last known residence was the basement of a home on Turk Street.
Mendez allegedly kidnapped her infant daughter Tayana from a San Jose apartment Wednesday, according to the San Jose Police Department.
Mendez has a tattoo of the word “Dante” on her neck and was last seen wearing a white hooded jacket with black skinny jeans and dark sneakers, police said. She is said to be pushing Tayana in a black and teal stroller.
Toddler Tayana Lewis weighs approximately 25 pounds, brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white jacket with pink sleeves and blue colored pants. She was in a black and teal stroller.
If the Suspect or victim are seen, please call 911. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Hansen #3836 of the San José Police Department’s Family Violence Unit via email: [email protected] and/or at 408-277-3700.
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