A man who lied to authorities about the kidnapping of his former sister-in-law in Concord today was allegedly attempting to have her smuggled into the country, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.
The investigation into the case started when the CHP responded to a traffic collision around 2:30 a.m. on state Highway 4 near Solano Way where officers found a green Mercury Sable with significant rear-end damage, CHP Officer Tom Maguire said.
Javier Mendoza, 35, said he was driving the Mercury when a white Chevrolet Astro rear-ended him. Mendoza originally reported two men got out of the van and kidnapped his former sister-in-law, Ivis Roxanna, 34, Maguire said.
However, investigators later learned that Mendoza had intended to meet with the suspects to pay them money for bringing Roxanna to the country, but Mendoza did not have the necessary funds, Maguire said. Roxanna is either from Central America or Mexico, according to Maguire.
He said it appears as though Roxanna was never in Mendoza's vehicle.
Roxanna was later dropped off in San Ramon.
"We ended up finding her," Maguire said. "She's safe, that's the good news."
Local
The CHP is continuing to interview Mendoza and Roxanna to see whether they should face charges.
The van is believed to have headed to Southern California and officers in the region have been notified of the case, Maguire said.
He said investigators learned that Mendoza had fabricated the originalstory of the kidnapping after interviewing Mendoza's ex-wife.
