Amber Alert: Toddler Kidnapped by Armed Woman
- On May 21, 2026, California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert for 3-year-old Elias Linares Quintanilla after authorities said he was taken in South Los Angeles. - CHP named Sonia Quintanilla, 38, as the suspect and said mother and child were believed to be traveling in a gray 2008 Pontiac G6. - CHP later deactivated the Amber Alert after the child was located, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.
California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert on Thursday, May 21, for 3-year-old Elias Linares Quintanilla after authorities said he had been taken in South Los Angeles. CHP said the boy was last seen Thursday morning with Sonia Quintanilla, 38, and the alert described her as armed and dangerous. Authorities said the pair were believed to be traveling in a gray 2008 Pontiac G6. ABC7 Los Angeles later reported that CHP deactivated the alert after the child was located. ### Who did authorities say took the child? CHP identified Sonia Quintanilla, 38, as the person believed to have taken Elias Linares Quintanilla. ABC7 reported that authorities said the child was with his mother when he was last seen in South Los Angeles on Thursday morning. The alert circulated by CHP described Quintanilla as armed and dangerous, according to media reports that cited the agency’s notice. (abc7.com) Police urged the public not to approach and instead to call 911 with any sightings. ### What details did the Amber Alert include? (abc7.com) The vehicle description in the alert was a gray 2008 Pontiac G6, which authorities said could help the public identify the case. CHP’s Amber Alert system is designed to push out details that can assist in a safe recovery when investigators determine a child is in imminent danger. (msn.com) CHP says California’s missing-person alert program relies on law enforcement, media outlets and the public to distribute actionable information quickly. The agency says it activates alerts on behalf of local investigating agencies after reviewing whether the criteria have been met. ### Why was the public told to call 911 right away? CHP says the purpose of an Amber Alert is to quickly notify the public about an abducted child and support a safe recovery. (abc7.com) The agency says community responses to alert information have helped recover victims in past cases. California’s Amber Alert plan says an alert can be activated when law enforcement confirms an abduction, the victim is 17 or younger, there is reason to believe the child is in imminent danger, and there is information that could assist the public in locating the child. (chp.ca.gov) ### What happened after the alert was issued? ABC7 Los Angeles reported Thursday evening that the Amber Alert had been deactivated after Elias Linares Quintanilla was located. (chp.ca.gov) The station’s report did not include additional details on where the child was found or whether anyone had been taken into custody. (chp.ca.gov) The initial public push for sightings appears to have been brief. ABC7 said CHP canceled the alert shortly after issuing it once the child had been found. ### Where can people check California alerts and case information? CHP says active California alerts are listed through its statewide alerts program and that alert information is also distributed through the agency’s public channels. (abc7.com) LAPD says tips in missing-person cases can also be directed to detectives or submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers-style tip lines. As of Thursday, May 21, the immediate next step in this case was no longer a public search but any follow-up information from CHP or the Los Angeles Police Department about the recovery and possible enforcement action. (abc7.com) (chp.ca.gov)
