Perinton, N.Y. — Three people have been charged with kidnapping following a reported abduction of a woman and her two children Saturday afternoon, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded around 3:20 p.m. to a home in Perinton from a caller claiming the abduction of Mouna Omar Saleh Ali, 54, Julie Abdullah Qasim Saleh, 7, and Hafish Abdullah Qasim Saleh, 9, was carried out by Mouna’s son, Amar Abdullah Qasim Saleh, 26, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators collected camera footage from nearby homes and obtained images of a vehicle and people who may have been involved. An AMBER Alert and a county-wide BOLO (Be On the Lookout) were issued. The sheriff’s office coordinated with several agencies, including the New York State Thruway Authority, Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport, and Canadian border officials, to prevent the family from leaving the area.
BACKGROUND: Amber Alert cancelled for Perinton family
Investigators eventually found the three alleged victims unharmed at a home in Rochester, the sheriff’s office said. The suspect vehicle was been recovered.
“We worked with multiple local, state, and federal partners to disseminate information about this abduction and about the victims to bring about a safe return of all three of them,†said Major Jeff Wagner of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office during a press briefing early Sunday morning. “As a result of a very tireless and dedicated investigation by all the police officers and law enforcement involved, we located all three victims at a residence in the city of Rochester. They were located uninjured, and they are currently safe.â€
Three suspects — Gamil S. Ahmed, 31, and Omar Saleh, 30, both of Rochester, and Dajour L. Paul, 26, of Brooklyn — were taken into custody for questioning and each charged with three counts of second-degree kidnapping as a result, according to the sheriff’s office. All three suspects pleaded not-guilty during arraignment Sunday in Monroe County CAP court.
Authorities are still looking for Amar Saleh and are working to determine the circumstances leading to the incident. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911.
Agencies involved in the investigation include:
- FBI
- New York State Police and their SIU – Rochester and Buffalo
- Rochester Police Department
- Town of Greece Police Department
- Town of Irondequoit Police Department
- MCSO K9, Drone Response Team, and SWAT
- ROC
- MCSO Crime Victims Specialists
- New York State Thruway Authority
- Monroe County District Attorney’s Office
- Child Advocacy Center of Rochester
- Child Protective Services
- Canada Border Services Agency
- U.S. Marshals
