Missing LAFD Firefighter Likely Victim Of 'Violent Kidnapping' In Mexico, Officials Say
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- A veteran firefighter with the Los Angeles Fire Department who went missing in Mexico last week is likely the victim of a "violent kidnapping," Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday.
"I want to say very clearly to anyone who would kidnap a member of our fire department that this is a member not just of our city government family, but of our community here in Los Angeles," he said during a press briefing.
Francisco Aguilar was last heard from on Friday, August 21, after going to his condo in Rosarito for a weekend trip.
"We will work tirelessly to make sure that Frank is returned safely," Garcetti said, adding that the city is working with the Mexican government and the state department to support the efforts to find Aguilar.
Garcetti pleaded with any possible kidnappers to allow Aguilar a safe return home.
"If this message gets to anyone who would dare kidnap an Angeleno who serves the people of Los Angeles, let him go and make sure he is able to safely return to our city and to his family," he said.
Investigators in Northern Baja said there are signs of violence in the condo, leading them to believe that he may have been "forcibly taken," according to a story first published by the Border Report.
Aguilar's brother Gabriel corroborated authorities' account, saying that went to Mexico to help search, he only found Aguilar's condo in disarray as if it had been ransacked and his brother's cars missing.
"We haven't been able to find him and we are fearing for the worst," Aguilar's mother said. said.