Neighbors shocked to hear of man's arrest in Garner kidnapping case: 'Kind of scary'
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The third suspect in the Garner kidnapping was arrested Friday morning and brought into the Wake County Detention Center. Authorities identified him as 37-year-old Eleodoro "Leo" Estrada-Hernandez. He is one of the three people suspected of kidnapping a young mother and her 11-month-old baby.
ABC11 spoke to some of his neighbors, who said they had no idea that he was at the center of a kidnapping investigation.
"It's kind of scary because I have kids here, you know? A family and a wife. So, it's kind of scary to have someone that close to you do something like that," said Hernandez's neighbor Mike King.
The other two suspects are siblings and identified as 25-year-old Paola Duran and her 23-year-old brother Miguel Duran Duran.
Authorities said three armed people wore masks and forced their way into a Garner home demanding money late Monday evening.
An AMBER Alert was issued after they tied up the woman's husband with duct tape and abducted the woman and baby girl.
This is kind of shocking to me. It's been a quiet neighborhood for years. I've been here for 20 years, and it's been a quiet neighborhood the whole time. That's kind of crazy.- Mike King, neighbor of suspect
A joint investigation between the FBI, SBI, and Garner Police Department led to the woman and her child being found safe early Tuesday morning in Wake Forest.
The Durans were arrested earlier in the week. Garner police posted a photo of FBI agents taking Hernandez into custody Friday morning.
His neighbors say they never expected to hear that he was involved.
"This is kind of shocking to me. It's been a quiet neighborhood for years. I've been here for 20 years, and it's been a quiet neighborhood the whole time. That's kind of crazy," said King.
The FBI wouldn't say where Hernandez was arrested, citing safety reasons. It said this investigation is ongoing, and federal charges could be pending.
He faces two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of second-degree kidnapping, one count possession of a firearm by a felon, and two counts assault by pointing a firearm.
