Abducted Child Recovered

Riverside, Ca-  On Thursday June 24, 2004 Detectives from the Riverside Police Department’s Sexual Assault and Child Abuse (SACA) Unit followed up on information regarding the location of an abducted 10 year-old child. In a search of the location, Detectives found the child had left the location several hours earlier. Detectives developed information from the search that led to securing the voluntary surrender of the missing child and his 4 year-old half brother by a family friend that had been caring for them. Both children are physically well and have been placed with child protective services pending being reunited with their family.

SACA Unit Detectives arrested Margarita Maria Peterson on an outstanding arrest warrant issued in the state of Maryland for child abduction on Tuesday, but she had declined to help locate the children. Peterson was wanted in Maryland for abducting her 10 year-old son after a two-hour visit in October of 2003. Peterson had enrolled her son at Longfellow Elementary School in Riverside, but had not been seen since an Americas Most Wanted Broadcast of her case in May of 2004. Perterson remains in custody in Riverside County Jail.