- An American woman kidnapped in Mexico eight months ago was just released by her captors.
- Monica De Leon Barba was walking her dog last November when several men forced her into a vehicle.
An American woman was released by her captors eight months after they kidnapped her off of a street in Mexico while she walked her dog, the FBI said in a statement Saturday.
Monica De Leon Barba was walking home from work with her dog in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico, on November 29 last year when three vehicles approached her, and several men forced her into a gray Volkswagen Jetta, according to footage released by the FBI.
De Leon Barba's dog was left walking loose in the street after the kidnapping. The FBI said in a statement in April that the dog "was later safely located and recovered by a family member."
At the time, the FBI had offered a $40,000 reward for information that could lead to De Leon Barba's rescue.
It's unclear why De Leon Barba's captors released her, and the FBI said they continue working on the case. At least five suspects were involved, they said.
The FBI said they have not made any arrests in De Leon Barba's kidnapping, and an investigation into her captors' identities "remains ongoing."
The FBI said De Leon Barba is "en route to the United States, where she will be reunited with her family and dog after spending eight months in captivity." They made no mention of the cat in the photograph.
Several kidnappings involving Americans in Mexico have made headlines this year. In March, a group was kidnapped while traveling to Matamoros so that one of them could undergo cosmetic surgery. Two group members were killed, and the other two were rescued.
In another case, the FBI offered $20,000 for information leading to the return of a 63-year-old American woman kidnapped from her home in Mexico.