The kidnapping of a 6-year-old boy from his Las Vegas home was
connected to a drug deal involving the child’s family members,
police said Thursday.
The kidnapping of a 6-year-old boy from his Las Vegas home was connected to a drug deal involving the child’s family members, police said Thursday.
There is a definite “drug nexus” connecting the family to the men who took the child from his home Wednesday morning, Las Vegas Police Capt. Vincent Cannito told reporters in an afternoon news conference.
Cannito said “significant money and drugs” were involved, but would not provide more details.
Cole Puffinburger was kidnapped by two Hispanic men, whom authorities said identified themselves as police officers to gain entry into the home where the boy’s mother and her boyfriend were left tied up Wednesday morning.
Cannito said the home, in a residential area several miles northeast of downtown, was ransacked.
“This child witnessed that. This child was ripped from the home,” he said.
An Amber Alert remained in effect for a second day in Nevada and was expanded nationwide as police searched for the child.
The boy was described as 3 feet 11 inches tall and 48 pounds, with blond hair, blue eyes and silver-framed glasses. Puffinburger was last seen wearing a black shirt, a black zip-up sweat shirt with white, black and blue stars, blue jeans and tennis shoes.
Las Vegas police said the two would-be robbers demanded money before abducting the boy a little before 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. A third man also was believed to be involved.
Cannito would not comment on whether the family had been contacted about paying ransom.
One of the suspects was described as having black shoulder-length, slicked-back hair. The man, in his early 30’s, was about 5 feet 7 inches and 150 pounds, and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. Authorities do not have a description of the other men or the getaway car, which delayed the initial posting of the statewide alert.
“We’re urging people, if they’ve seen anything, to contact our missing persons detail,” Las Vegas police Officer Bill Cassell said.
“We’ve had a lot of tips,” Cassell said. “The frustrating thing is we have nothing new at this point.”
