3850 Justice Dr. El Paso, Texas 79938 
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Deputy Jesse Tovar / PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Direct: (915) 538-2119
Pager: (915) 533-0733 (#5370)
Release Date / Time: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 11:00 AM
SECTION: El Paso County Sheriff's Office – UPPER VALLEY PATROL / CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION
EVENT: BIZARRE CHILD CUSTODY CASE IN WESTWAY, TX
LOCATION OF OCCURRENCE: 1200 block of Lakewood Westway, TX
DATE / TIME: OVER THE WEEKEND
RESULT: UNDER INVESTIGATION
WESTWAY, TX – Over the weekend, Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the 1200 block of Lakewood in Westway, TX in reference to a child custody dispute. Deputies arrived and met with a distraught female reporter who told authorities her 20 month-old-son had been abducted by another female (her sister-in-law) and taken to Juarez, MX presumably to sell the baby for $10,000.
Due to the nature of the allegation, Deputies recognized the importance & urgency of acting quickly; however, due to some early suspicions & doubts regarding the allegation, Deputies carefully balanced the decision to activate an immediate, full-blown AMBER Alert (& multi-agency response) with thorough interview of the Reporter due to inconsistencies from her story.
After an extensive investigation by on scene Deputies, it was learned that the accused abductor was actually the biological mother of the child. Initially, the reporter tried filing a Criminal Kidnapping report by claiming that “her” 20 month-old child was abducted by her baby sitter earlier in the day.
Further investigation by CID Detectives determined the Reporter & her sister in law had previously made a “verbal agreement” in which they decided that the child would be given to the Reporter shortly after birth. Instead of pursuing a legal adoption plan thru the courts, the two instead schemed a plot where the biological mother assumed the reporter’s identity in the hospital during birth so the reporter could later “claim” false legal motherhood of the child. The child was found to be safe in the care of her biological mother.
The biological mother of the child (alleged abductor) is identified as Maria Salazar Cagal (22) of the 1200 block of Lakewood Westway, TX.
The reporter (supposed mother) is identified as Miriam Guzman Quino (26) of the 500 block of Talbot Canutillo, TX.
Apparently, a birth certificate was falsified in order to falsely claim motherhood of the child. The reporters birth certificate was used by the biological mother to register at a local hospital, falsely listing the reporter as the mother on the child’s birth certificate.
After carefully evaluating all the facts and weighing all the options, it was ultimately determined that this incident did not meet the criteria of a “criminal kidnapping.” However, due to the complexity of details involved, it entails future civil litigation between the parties involved, and possible criminal charges for falsifying any hospital records (pending further CID investigation & DA’s Office).
“Upper Valley Deputies took extraordinary measures to make sound decisions under such confusing circumstances. Although it is unlikely that anyone would have been upset if a multi-agency AMBER Alert had been activated given the facts” – Patrol Deputy Sgt. Lewis Roe
THE IDENTITIES OF ALL INVOLVED WILL NOT BE RELEASED AT THIS TIME.
CHARGES ARE PENDING AS AN INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.
NO OTHER INFORMATION WILL BE RELEASE AT THIS TIME
END OF NEWS RELEASE
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in March of 2001 was the first Sheriff’s Office in the State of Texas to be Internationally Accredited from CALEA and is now the recipient of the First CALEA Tri-Arc award in Texas (4th in the Nation) to have accreditations in: Law Enforcement, Communications, Training Academy.