A mother who allegedly kidnapped her two-year-old son amid an intense custody battle nearly three years ago has been captured by the FBI.
The capture occurred just 24 hours after the shocking story surrounding Maria Evelia Cabrera-Gutierrez, the mother of Daniel Markus, was aired on The Hunt with John Walsh. The show airs on HLN, a spin-off of CNN.
The show, which aired on September 17, chronicled Guy Markus’s quest to reunite with his son, who was allegedly kidnapped by Cabrera-Gutierrez, now 46, on November 13, 2014 in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Pictured is an FBI photo showing Maria Evelia Cabrera-Gutierrez, 46, and her son Daniel Markus. She has been captured nearly three years after allegedly kidnapping the boy amid a bitter custody battle with the boy’s father
Pictured is Daniel with his father, Guy Markus, who had worked with authorities for nearly three years to try to track down his abducted son
Her alleged motive is that she realized she would lose her son in a custody battle with Markus.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cabrera-Gutierrez, of Mexico, and Markus had been sharing custody of the boy since August 2014.
The FBI report reads: ‘Cabrera-Gutierrez violated that order by fleeing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by bus with Daniel on November 13, 2014.
‘She is known to have arrived in San Antonio, Texas, the following day and may have been en route to Mexico.
‘On November 19, 2014, Cabrera-Gutierrez was charged with interference with custody of children and concealment of whereabouts of a child in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Berks County, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
‘On November 24, 2014, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Cabrera-Gutierrez in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Allentown, Pennsylvania, after she was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.’
Cabrera-Gutierrez and Markus were both living in Pennsylvania and authorities believe that she was trying to flee to Mexico, where she is from. She had last been seen in San Antonio, Texas
Markus, who referred to Cabrera-Gutierrez as ‘controlling’ in an interview for the CNN documentary, said he found a note on her door when he came to pick up Daniel from a stay with her on Friday, November 14, 2014.
He told CNN that the note was ‘basically saying I will contact you when I get an attorney’.
He immediately contacted the authorities, who were at first unable to do anything because child custody is a civil issue in Pennsylvania.
But after an emergency-court order issued on Monday, November 17, the police were able to assist Markus, who was granted full custody amid the abduction.
Daniel officially became a missing person.
Markus characterized Cabrera-Gutierrez as ‘very controlling’ in an interview with CNN’s The Hunt with John Walsh
It is not yet clear where Daniel and his mother were found
Cabrera-Gutierrez made claims that Markus was abusing her and her children.
But at least one of her daughters, along with Markus, completely refuted these claims.
Daniel and his mother were found just 24 hours after an HLN profile aired about their story
One of her daughters further alleged the Cabrera-Gutierrez had abused one of her sons named Ivan.
The daughter told CNN: ‘My mom started to unravel a lot.’
Markus also related an incident in which he claimed that Cabrera-Gutierrez would only grant him permission to bring Daniel to visit his dying grandfather in Israel if Markus agreed to marry her. They never married.
Markus previously told the Reading Eagle that he had separated from Cabrera-Gutierrez and had asked her to leave his home due to ‘problems’.
It is not yet known where Cabrera-Gutierrez was captured.