Three children missing since April 2008 after their mother was found dead with a plastic bag over her head in her Humboldt Park neighborhood home were found safely and flown to Chicago on Friday, Chicago Police announced.

Oscar, Karla and Fernando Casanova were discovered in Mexico City and were flown to Chicago on Friday, according to police. An Amber Alert was originally issued for the children following the April 21, 2008 murder of their mother, Sophia Garcia. Oscar was 6, Karla was 7 and Fernando was 11 when they were abducted. The alert has been canceled, FBI officials said Saturday.

The children have been placed with a family member in Chicago, according to police News Affairs Sgt. Antoinette Ursitti.

“The children were located in Mexico, earlier this summer, and were waiting for necessary immigration and child protective services clearances before returning to Chicago,” FBI spokesman Ross Rice said in a statement. “A tip from a member of the public led Mexican authorities to the residence of [Benito] Casanova’s mother, were the children were found. All three are reported to be in good health.”
[...]

Police continue seeking the father of two of the children, Benito O. Casanova, 32, who police believe picked up the children from Yates Elementary School, 1839 N. Richmond, just after classes let out. Casanova also was described as Garcia’s husband or boyfriend.

A no-bond arrest warrant was originally issued for Casanova last year for child abduction, and Chicago Police said Saturday there have been no homicide charges filed against him.
[...]

The homicide investigation remained open Friday night and no one was in custody, Ursitti said.

Source

yeah, that’s not good.

I just don’t understand why anyone would take guys like this back. (beats head on wall)

Confucius say: Sometimes those who won’t put down the penis, will eventually be put down BY the penis……Or maybe Angel said that. Yeah, I think it was Angel.

And you know what that (words fail me) did? Let him move back in with her a few months ago.

I’m not saying that Sophia deserved to die. I just don’t understand why anyone would take guys like this back. (beats head on wall)

I agree that if he has been gone since Friday, he is either in Mexico or one of our US cities that he can easily blend into and obtain false identification. Doesn’t everyone have to obtain a passport to get into Mexico now? Or does it only apply to older children and adults? I thought I had heard that everyone needed a passport. If that’s the case, and they never obtained one for the children, it may make it a little more difficult, but then again, you can obtain so many falsified documents.

I just don’t understand how parents don’t realize that they end up hurting the children when they do stupid things like this. But then again, if criminals actually thought about their actions prior to committing them, we probably wouldn’t hear as many stories like this.

I am praying for the safe return of these children.

seriously, though, i have such a tender place in my heart for chubby latino little boys. they remind me of my brother when he was little.

I’m sure he is hightailing it to Mexico though. He probably thinks he is safe there. Unfortuntaly for him he is mistaken, when he is caught they will just send him back. Mexico doesn’t want our murderers just like we don’t want theirs.

You’re right. But even if he’s not an illegal, I would think he’d be smart enough not to use his real name in his new life as a pursued murderer. Thus, he can take full advantage of the things that help illegals stay here: false papers, employers that don’t care to really check i.d.s, and cities that look the other way.

But if he goes straight to Mexico, he can avoid the death penalty, so he’s probably there.

If that’s the case, Benito has a brand new name with birth certificate, someone else’s social security number, and a stolen job. Life is good!

Is this guy an illegal immigrant? I can’t find anywhere where it says he is.

I’m sure he is hightailing it to Mexico though. He probably thinks he is safe there. Unfortuntaly for him he is mistaken, when he is caught they will just send him back. Mexico doesn’t want our murderers just like we don’t want theirs.

Hopefully he will drop the kids off some place safe and then off himself. Save them the added emotional trauma of a trial.

Just a guess but benito is most likely in mexico by now. Or one of the sanctuary cities like L.A. or Houston

If that’s the case, Benito has a brand new name with birth certificate, someone else’s social security number, and a stolen job. Life is good!