PHOENIX — An Arizona man accused of kidnapping his two young children during a supervised visit in 2018 has been extradited from Mexico and booked into Maricopa County Jail, authorities announced Friday.
Luis Alberto Herrera-Ramirez, who was arrested with his wife Andrea Vanessa Ramirez in Aguascalientes, Mexico in April 2024, arrived in Arizona following a lengthy international legal process. Andrea Ramirez remains in custody in Mexico awaiting her own extradition.
Herrera-Ramirez faces multiple serious charges, including three counts of kidnapping, as well as molestation of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, child abuse involving a firearm, and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
How the 2018 abduction unfolded
The charges stem from an incident in May 2018, when Herrera-Ramirez and his wife allegedly tased and duct-taped a case aide to a tree during a supervised custody visit in Tucson. They then abducted their children — 5-year-old Luis Ramirez Jr. and 6-month-old Kahmila Ramirez — and fled in a greenish-teal 1996 Toyota Camry.
A passerby discovered the case aide, freed her, and called 911. Authorities safely recovered the children shortly afterward and returned them to the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
At the time of the abduction, the couple had already been indicted on 20 counts of sexual exploitation involving a childwho was not their own.
Years-long manhunt ends with international cooperation
The parents evaded capture for nearly six years until U.S. and Mexican authorities tracked them down in 2024. They remained in custody in Mexico while extradition proceedings took place.
“This extradition, achieved through years of coordination across jurisdictions, ensures that his alleged crimes against these innocent children and the public official will be addressed in our courts,” said acting U.S. Marshal Van Bayless.
Tucson Police Chief Chad Kasmar expressed appreciation for law enforcement’s persistence: “Their efforts have brought us to this next step in the judicial process. The extradition of Luis Herrera-Ramirez brings us one step closer to accountability and, most importantly, to closure and healing for the children so deeply impacted by these horrific crimes.”
Herrera-Ramirez will remain in Arizona custody as he awaits prosecution.
