Kidnapped boy found in 'extremely good condition' Cole Puffinburger, the 6-year-old boy who had been the subject of an Amber Alert since Wednesday, was found alive and in “extremely good condition” late Saturday night in the area of 17th Street and Oakey Boulevard, police said.
Two detectives were passing out missing persons fliers in the area when somebody called police about 10:23 p.m. reporting that a boy fitting Cole’s description was walking down the sidewalk in the area, Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Vincent Cannito said.
The detectives responded to the area and confirmed the boy was Cole. He was taken to University Medical Center to make sure he was OK, which Cannito said he was.
“It’s just a blessing that this child has been found,” Cannito said.
Cannito did not answer questions during a 12:30 a.m. Sunday news conference outside the department’s Investigative Services Division at Oakey and Decatur boulevards.
He was joined at the news conference by Cole’s father, an emotional Robert Puffinburger, who has worked day and night since his son’s disappearance passing out fliers around the community.
“I thank this whole community. I can’t thank you enough,” Puffinburger said, his voice cracking and his eyes welling up. “Thank you so much for helping me find my son.”
The 28-year-old said he had just gone home from passing out fliers when he got the call from police.
“I just got the call 'We got 'em,’” Puffinburger said. “And I said, 'You got who?’ 'Your son!’”
Puffinburger hadn’t seen his son, he said.
“I’m just glad he’s safe and he’s back home and into the right hands,” he said. “I can’t wait to see him.”
Las Vegas police devoted about 100 detectives working 12-hour shifts to the case since Cole was taken from his east valley home Wednesday morning.
Now that he’s been found, Cannito said the case is closed, but other cases relating to his disappearance are still open.
“The investigation regarding this child is concluded,” Cannito said. “The remainder of the investigation shifts, and our focus now goes onto the drug dealing, to potential extortion issues as well as other issues certainly that are involved in this investigation at this time.”
Cole’s kidnapping was a “message” for millions of dollars the boy’s maternal grandfather, Clemens Tinnemeyer, had stolen from a Mexican drug cartel through drug trafficking, primarily in methamphetamine, according to sources and police.
Sources said the amount of money stolen was between $8 million and $20 million and that he had been hiding.
Tinnemeyer was arrested late Friday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after being named as a person of interest, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
Tinnemeyer was arrested on a material witness warrant and was being held Saturday at the San Bernardino County Central Detention Center.
Cannito said police have interviewed Tinnemeyer, but he wouldn’t elaborate on what Cole’s grandfather told them.
Police earlier Saturday had identified two other “persons of interest” in the case, one person who Cannito wouldn’t name but has been interviewed by police and another that police are searching for.
The other person sought for questioning is Jesus Gastelum, a 5-foot-9-inch man in his mid-30s weighing about 185 pounds. He is believed to be in Las Vegas or Southern California.
Cole’s kidnapping exploded into a national story within 24 hours of the incident.
Police said two or possibly three men claimed to be police officers before they entered Cole’s home on Cherry Grove Avenue, near Hollywood and Lake Mead boulevards, about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday.
The men demanded money, and the boy’s mother and her fiance told them they didn’t have any, police said. The men used zip ties to restrain the two, gagged them and searched the house, police said.
When they didn’t find money, they took Cole and fled in a vehicle, police said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.Cole Puffinburger, the 6-year-old Las Vegas boy who was kidnapped from his home Wednesday and became the focus of a nationwide Amber Alert search, was reported to be in “extremely good condition” at an undisclosed hospital early Sunday after being found near downtown Las Vegas late Saturday, Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Vincent Cannito said.
Cole was found walking on a sidewalk, Cannito said at a 12:30 a.m. news conference. Earlier, Cannito said the boy was located near the intersection of East Oakey Boulevard and 17th Street around 10:30 p.m. after police received a phone call about a boy matching Cole’s description walking in that area.
The boy was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Cannito said. He provided no further details on Cole’s condition.
Cole’s father, Robert Puffinburger, spoke briefly and at times tearfully about the sudden discovery of his son.
“They worked nonstop and I can’t give enough gratitude to this entire city,” Puffinburger said of those who helped in the search for his son.
He would not address any questions regarding his relationship with Cole’s maternal grandfather, Clemens Tinnemeyer, who was arrested late Friday in Riverside, Calif., on a material witness warrant.
“I’m just glad he’s safe and back home in the right hands,” Puffinburger said of his son.
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