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RIVERTON —A young woman has made it her mission to find three children who were illegally taken by their father in 2008. The case prompted an Amber Alert, which is the only one in Utah that remains active.
"They're not safe right now, and nobody really knows where they are," Hannah Endemanno said Tuesday.
Endemanno was 10 years old in 2005, when her parents fostered Alicia and Pablo Hernandez.
"They were just like part of the family," she said. "They were just another brother and sister, you know?"
Endemanno, who has seven brothers, welcomed a new sister. She and Alicia shared a room together in the Riverton home where Endemanno and her family still live.
"(I had) lots of late night talks with a 3-year-old, the best kind," Endemanno said, laughing.
She said the kids adjusted easily, despite their troubled background.
- Is this believed to be a child abduction?
- Is the child 17 years of age or younger? (Amber Alerts are not activated for persons over 17)
- Is the victim believed to be facing imminent danger, serious bodily injury or death?
- Is there information that could assist the public in the safe recovery of the victim or the apprehension of a suspect?
Source: Utah Department of Public Safety
"We knew that they'd been taken from their dad and his girlfriend and that had been a very physically abusive relationship," Endemanno said.
Her parents were planning to adopt Alicia and Pablo, but at the end of the year they were placed with a relative.
"They found their aunt, and so that was great for them; but it was definitely tough," Endemanno said.
She received occasional phone calls from the children and didn't think they could be in any danger.
Then on Aug. 26, 2008 the children's father took Alicia, Pablo and their 3-year-old stepsister, Xiomara, during a supervised visit at their aunt's home in West Valley City.
"It's the last thing you would ever expect," Endemanno said.
Police issued an Amber Alert for Israel Hernandez and his girlfriend, Martha Torres, who is Xiomara's mother.
At the time, West Valley City Police believed they could be headed for California or Mexico.
They've never been found, and the Amber Alert remains active.
"We're still very concerned about the welfare of these children, and we're hoping the public still keeps an eye out and can bring these kids home safely," said Paul Murphy, Utah's Amber Alert coordinator.
Murphy said the Amber Alert program has close ties with the Mexican government.
"If there was a citing in Mexico, there's a good chance those kids come come home," Murphy said.
It's not really something you can forget. They're still part of the people you've loved. We pray for them every day.
–Hannah Endemanno, foster sister
That's Endemanno's hope. She now attends college in Idaho and has been making phone calls to authorities in Utah. She also plans to go to Mexico someday to look for the kids.
Endemanno said Alicia would be 11 now, and Pablo would be 9 or 10.
"It's not really something you can forget," Endemanno said. "They're still part of the people you've loved. We pray for them every day."
West Valley City Deputy Police Chief Mike Powell said the Hernandez kidnapping is still an active case. He said investigators are hopeful new information they've recently received will shed some new light on the case and help bring the children back.
There have been 34 Amber Alerts issued in Utah since the program began in 2002. Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping triggered the first one, and Murphy said that case shows how effective the alert can still be effective after some time has passed: Smart was found after nine months.
