Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez, abducted by her biological mother in 2018 from a Washington mall, has been located in Mexico, ending a five-year search. The FBI recently announced her safe return to the United States.
Ochoa Lopez disappeared while with her mother, Esmeralda Lopez-Lopez, and was later found hidden in the Mexican state of Michoacan. The details of her rescue remain undisclosed.
After her kidnapping, Ochoa Lopez’s mother was arrested in Mexico in 2019. In 2021, she pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the abduction.
Throughout the search, the FBI worked closely with local law enforcement in the US and Mexico, offering a $10,000 reward for information.
Most child abductions involve family members, as with Ochoa Lopez, as reported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The FBI continues to support Ochoa Lopez’s reintegration into the US.