RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A Southern California woman living in Mexico was kidnapped from her Pueblo Nuevo home, and the FBI on Thursday announced a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to her location.
Maria del Carmen Lopez, a 63-year-old United States citizen who divides her time between her home in Mexico and staying with family in Riverside and Los Angeles counties, has been missing for more than a month, according to Laura Eimiller of the FBI’s Los Angeles office.
Lopez is believed to have been kidnapped on Feb. 9 from her residence in Pueblo Nuevo, Colima, according to Eimiller.
“The FBI is conducting this investigation jointly with law enforcement authorities in Mexico,” Eimiller said in a statement.
Before moving to Mexico, she lived in the Southern California region, Eimiller said.
Lopez is Hispanic, 5 feet, 2 inches tall, and weighs about 160 pounds. She has blonde hair, brown eyes and “permanent/tattooed” eyeliner.
Anyone with information about Lopez’s physical location is urged to contact their local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. In Los Angeles, the FBI can be reached at 310 477-6565. A tip may also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.
Lopez’s home in Pueblo Nuevo is in Colima, a state the U.S. Department of State is urging American travelers to avoid due to a spike in kidnappings and homicides. It’s one of many parts of the country the U.S. government has identified as unsafe for travelers recently. The U.S. recently issued its highest-level warning, outright telling travelers not to go to Guerrero, Colima, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.
“Violent crime – such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery – is widespread and common in Mexico,” The State Department warned. “The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by U.S. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. In many states, local emergency services are limited outside the state capital or major cities.”
SEE ALSO: U.S. Urges Spring Breakers To Avoid Mexico Due To Risk Of Kidnapping
Lopez’s disappearance is one of several incidents to make international headlines recently.
Elliot Blair, a 33-year-old Orange County public defender, died in January while celebrating his first anniversary with his wife at a Rosarito Beach resort. Mexican authorities initially concluded he died from an accidental fall from a balcony at the resort. However, a lawyer for Blair’s family said an autopsy report showed he sustained 40 fractures to the back of the skull as well as “road rash” on his knees and a toe injury, which indicated he was dragged, attorney Case Barnett said.
Earlier this month four Americans were kidnapped by gunmen in the border city of Matamoros. Two were killed, and two were found alive. This week, a Mexican court indicted five men in connection with the kidnappings, the Wall Street Journal reported.