Amber Alert: Girl, 11, Kidnapped By Undocumented Farm Worker, 42, In Walnut Hill; Sheriff Says He Was ‘Grooming’ Her

July 28, 2022

UPDATED 4:10 p.m.

Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons told NorthEscambia.com that an 11-year old girl reported kidnapped from Walnut Hill has been found safe in the area.

“We do not believe now that she was kidnapped,” Simmons said. The girl was located with a vehicle reported stolen Thursday from a farm in Walnut Hill.

Manriquez Brijido-Ortez, 42, the man alleged in a statewide Amber Alert report to have kidnapped the girl, was found Thursday afternoon in Laredo, Texas, but Simmons said they do not believe he took the girl.

Brijido-Ortez remains in custody in Texas as authorities investigate his prior alleged relationship with the 11-year old.

Simmons said it’s not known who stole the vehicle.

Additional updates will be posted as available

UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office says 11-year old Banesa Irene Fernandez-Santis has been safely update. No further details have been released.

A Florida Amber Alert has been issued after an 11-year old girl was kidnapped in Walnut Hill by a undocumented farm worker.

Banesa Irene Fernandez-Santis, 11, was last seen about 10 p.m. Wednesday in the 5600 block of Arthur Brown Road near Morgan Road in Walnut Hill. Banesa is 4-feet, 6-inches tall, 120 pounds, long black hair, and has scars on her face.

Manriquez Brijido-Ortez, 42, is suspected in her kidnapping, according to Sheriff Simmons.

Simmons said Banesa and Brijido-Ortez were working on a farm in Walnut Hill where the father discovered a “building or grooming” relationship between the 11-year old and the 42-year old.

Two weeks ago, “the father was concerned because he saw them in a kissing situation, and he immediately thought that’ s inappropriate, and he was right, and he fired him, and he actually drove him to Atlanta,” Simmons said. Thursday morning, the father found a screen cut on their Walnut Hill home, and Banesa was missing. She left a note behind indicating that she would be with Brijido-Ortez.

They are believed to have headed to either Atlanta, Georgia, or Loredo, Texas.

“We are very worried about her,” Simmons said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, FBI and other agencies have joined the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or 911.

Simmons said the photograph seen above and below is the only photograph they have been able to obtain of Brijido-Ortez, and it may be outdated.

Pictured inset: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office conducts their investigation Thursday morning in Walnut Hill. Exclusive photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

2 Responses to “Amber Alert: Girl, 11, Kidnapped By Undocumented Farm Worker, 42, In Walnut Hill; Sheriff Says He Was ‘Grooming’ Her”

  1. Vicki (Bogia) on July 28th, 2022 5:51 pm

    Thank the Lord she’s been found unharmed and he’s been caught. That’s what is really important.
    Never would have thought this would happen way out here. Friends keep telling me bad people and stuff everywhere now.
    But why was there an undocumented worker working in Walnut Hill, I would think that if you hire someone you should know that. But I guess that’s not a question people ask these days. I’ve been retired many years now so I guess I’m an “Old Foggy” cause I was brought up: your land your responsibility in the eyes of the law.

  2. cj on July 28th, 2022 4:14 pm

    Praying that this young girl is found without harm and returned to her family very soon.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News