Honduran boy held for ransom in Juarez

JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- Mexican authorities saved a 9-year-old Honduran boy being held for ransom by a transnational criminal organization in Juarez.

US Border Patrol and HSI El Paso helped with the kidnapping investigation, working with HSI Ciudad Juarez and the state anti-kidnapping unit in Ciudad Juarez.

The child had been separated from his mother at a Juarez stash house, where they had been waiting for smugglers to get them into El Paso.

The mom crossed over on July 27, where she was detained by Border Patrol agents. The organization, however, demanded a ransom from the boy's Kansas City relatives.

By August 1, the boy's family had sent the money and the organization left the boy at a Juarez police station.

Officers have not yet made any arrests and the case is still under investigation. Mexican authorities are working to send the boy back to Honduras.