The Kidnapping of Baby Brandon Cuellar

On April 25, 2022, Baby Brandon was abducted from his family's apartment while his grandmother briefly stepped outside to unload groceries. Surveillance footage captured a man, later identified as 28-year-old Jose Roman Portillo, entering the apartment with an empty baby carrier and exiting with Brandon concealed inside. The kidnapping was orchestrated by 43-year-old Yesenia Guadalupe Ramirez, a family friend who had met Brandon's grandmother through church. Ramirez had taken the grandmother shopping that day, providing Portillo the opportunity to carry out the abduction.

The Kidnapping

On April 25, 2022, Brandon was abducted from his family's apartment while his grandmother briefly stepped outside to unload groceries. Surveillance footage captured a man, later identified as 28-year-old Jose Roman Portillo, entering the apartment with an empty baby carrier and exiting with Brandon concealed inside. The kidnapping was orchestrated by 43-year-old Yesenia Guadalupe Ramirez, a family friend who had met Brandon's grandmother through church. Ramirez had taken the grandmother shopping that day, providing Portillo the opportunity to carry out the abduction.

Motive and Prior Attempts

Investigations revealed that Ramirez had fabricated a pregnancy to deceive another man, Francisco Marquez, into believing he was the father of her child. To maintain this deception, Ramirez plotted to kidnap Brandon and present him as her own. She enlisted Portillo's help, who was reportedly romantically involved with her. The duo had made multiple failed attempts to abduct Brandon prior to the successful kidnapping, including posing as Child Protective Services workers and attempting to take him from a Walmart store.

Recovery and Legal Proceedings

Brandon was found unharmed approximately 20 hours later at Portillo's residence, about six miles from his home. Both Ramirez and Portillo were arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, conspiracy, burglary, and vehicle tampering. In August 2022, they pleaded no contest to these charges. Ramirez was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison, while Portillo received a five-year sentence.