GUILTY CA - Ana De Ceja, 26, slain, infant son abducted, Planada, 2 Dec 2010

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

The only thing I've seen regarding her husband is that he saw her before he left for work. I'm sure if LE suspects him they will be able to figure out if he was late to work or anything like that.

But I do wonder too about the neighbors. Was it one neighbor who saw her leave? Or more than one?

 

[Texas Mist]

The Merced County Sheriff’s Department reported on Thursday that a witness said a man and a woman approached them last week and asked if they “wanted to buy a baby”.

The witness said the baby was in a car seat and that car seat was later found by someone walking in the area of Bear Creek and Parson’s Avenue.

more here - including LE looking for suspects & their descriptions

http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/stor...ried-to-Sell-Baby/Qd4wh2HJq0iODfuD4zzWHA.cspx


Somebody killed Ana for her baby to sell - then didn't sell it?



ETA:

<snip>

Since then someone has come forward to state that earlier that day in the afternoon while in the area of 27th Street and Midge Ave, they were approached by a male and female carrying a baby in a car seat asking if they “wanted to buy a baby”. The witness described the car seat and it matched the one found. The witness described the couple as:

A light complexioned Hispanic or Caucasian male, 5’7” to 5’8” thin build, in his early to mid 40’s with brown hair and full beard wearing a black beanie cap, brown pants and black shirt.
A heavy set Hispanic female brown hair pulled back, a pink shirt and jeans.

more here

http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/Baby-Found-Folo-111627004.html

 

[zoomom]

Just watched the local 10 pm news.
kmph fox 26 news.



"Merced Police Search for Couple in Connection with Homicide"

http://www.kmph.com/Global/story.asp?S=13633628

"A witness came forward on December 3rd in the afternoon and stated that while in the area of 27th Street and Midge Ave, they were approached by a man and woman carrying a baby in a car seat asking if they "wanted to buy a baby".The witness described the car seat and it matched the one found.

The witness told police the man with the baby was a light complexioned Hispanic or Caucasian male, 5'7" to 5'8" thin build, in his early to mid 40's with brown hair and full beard wearing a black beanie cap, brown pants and black shirt.

The woman is described as a heavy set Hispanic female with brown hair."

more at link


ooops! Texas Mist beat me to it!

 

[zoomom]

Living in the area of the Central Valley for 30 yrs, (Planada is only about 50 miles away), it is my opinion that this could absolutely be a stranger/slight acquaintance murder and abduction of the baby.

I was shocked when about 10 years ago a pregnant woman was kidnapped about 5 blocks from our house, and was found murdered with her baby cut out of her abdomen. The "3 strikes You're Out" law came from a murder 3 blocks away. Steven Stayner (kidnap victim) was a local, as was Marcus Wesson - 6 blocks away, (incest & had all 7 or 8 of his children murdered by his eldest daughter.)

For some reason people think they can get away with crimes here. Maybe because there is TONS of farmland, with small cities spread out here and there. But news travels fast. And we have REALLY tough cops here.

My point - they WILL catch the perps.

 

[MsFacetious]

I just heard that it was "neighbors" who gave the time line information.... I assume that means more than one. But it could be more than one from the same household...

I wonder if the husband has been ruled out as being the male suspect?

That would seem to be very odd if he was... but then again... just as abandoning the baby would divert attention from him, so would a report of someone trying to sell the baby before it was abandoned. It wouldn't even occur to people that those things would be done by the husband and father. I can't imagine him being able to think that clearly however.

For strangers, that is a lot of work to go to, just to give up and abandon the baby... that makes no sense.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Just a note to remember that no one has yet been named as a person of interest or suspect in this case. Speculation (I wonder if... ; Is it possible... ; etc) is fine! Just don't jump the line to accusing.

Also, I don't think anyone has crossed that line. This isn't directed at anyone in particular. I just wanted to put up a reminder so no one does cross that line before we are able to.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I just can't wrap my head around any theory!!! The couple trying to sell a baby just confuses me more... Different aspects point to different possibilities, and nothing is jumping out to say "this person did it!" So confused!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Well, it looks like there's a language barrier from Ana's husband (sister-in-law translated for him below). May be why we haven't heard from him yet.

http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/stor...ried-to-Sell-Baby/_kHvyxHxA0aIyfLEbLt3CQ.cspx

Luis Ceja hopes it is his two-month-old son Anthony. Ceja is devastated by what's going on. He told CBS47 he is trying to stay strong for his five year old son, while he waits for answers in the murder of his wife, Ana Diaz DeCeja. With his son and mother by his side, his sister-in-law, Bianca Zaragoza, translated: "He's asking with all his heart, if anybody knows anything, to let the authorities know,"

and

Luis Ceja has not been able to see the child. He says it would be a relief if it was his son, Anthony. "The relief wouldn't be as great as if he had his wife here as well. But it would make him happy," his sister-in-law, Zaragoza, translated.

Thursday am, early - Ana and Anthony seen by Ana's husband as he left for work
Thursday am - Ana and Anthony possibly seen by neighbors leaving home
Thursday 9:30 am - Ana's body found burning in an orchard 40 miles away near Snelling
Thursday night - Ana's husband reports them missing

Friday, 2-3 pm - Mystery couple tries to sell an infant in a car seat (car seat description matches that of Anthony's, which was missing from SUV)
Friday night - SUV found abandoned 34 miles from home near Snelling (7 miles from body)

Tuesday 6:30 am - Infant (likely Anthony) found, wrapped in a blanket, abandoned on doorstep

 

[zoomom]

I'm willing to bet anything the Husband has NOTHING to do with this. Just a feeling I have from living close by. Who would be stupid enough to try and peddle a baby in broad daylight like they were selling tamales???? (Selling tamales being an everyday occurence on my street).

The only people stupid enough would be druggies.


ETA: just so people don't think I'm picking on anyone- we live in a VERY diverse neighborhood. For 30 years, raised 4 kids here, and now 4 grandkids. We ALL love our kids - no matter what culture we came from. That's why we live HERE in this particular neighborhood.

 

[MsFacetious]

The other thing that points away from the husband is what would he have done with the baby for those days? Obviously there was a man and woman involved. The woman likely took care of the baby for a few days while they tried to sell it and then decided to abandon it. But I doubt the husband was able to communicate with anyone during that time frame because of the investigation.

I don't think it is him either. I just can't understand why you would burn the body. If your motivation is simply stealing her child. That doesn't make sense. That is usually either a sexually related cover up, a whole lot of rage or a major situation like drugs/gangs.

When someone steals a baby they usually just take the baby and go. If they have to kill the Mom, fine... but WHY go to the trouble to drive her out there, dump her there, burn her body, etc. Unless you were concerned about being connected to her if there was any forensic evidence like skin under her nails?

So that tells me one of two things...

They thought they would be questioned and might be connected forensically that way.

They knew that they were already in the system and might be connected that way.

Or they just like to play with fire?

All of the other recent body burning cases have been sexual assaults. Nothing was taken even if there were valuables. Maybe sexual assault was a secondary motive in this case?

How would they have gotten her in the first place? Did she get to the health center and they got her when she was getting out? She never went to the appointment itself...

This one makes no sense.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Couple may have tried to sell baby boy in Merced

Detectives now say a couple tried to sell an infant to someone in Merced last Friday.

Action News has learned deputies found two month old Anthony Ceja Diaz's car seat near a creek in the same area.

[snip]

Deputy Tom MacKenzie says the person who reported the strange encounter clearly described the car seat the baby was in. It matched the car seat two month old Anthony Ceja Diaz was in the day he and his mother, Ana Ceja Diaz disappeared from their Planada home. It's also the same car seat a couple spotted as they walked along Bear Creek near Parsons in Merced late Friday afternoon. Authorities took the car seat into evidence, but did not release that detail to protect the investigation.

[snip]

The man is described as 5'7 to 5'8 with a thin build. He's in his early to mid 40's and has brown hair and a full beard. The female is described as a heavy set woman with brown hair.

Anyone with information should call the Merced County Sheriff's Office.

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=7835127

 

[MsFacetious]

I'm glad they didn't release that detail! Can you imagine how many people would have thought baby Anthony was in the creek if they had??

Though it begs the question... why dump the car seat if you have the baby for another 4 days? Or did someone else have the baby for those few days? Maybe they DID get someone to buy the baby and that person saw the media coverage and panicked?

I would think you would leave the baby on someone's porch, in the car seat... If not, I would think you would leave the baby and get rid of the car seat on the same day.

I guess I'm just not seeing the logic to having them in two separate places days apart. Maybe if the car seat had been destroyed to cover up finger prints... but just leaving it by a creek makes no sense. This almost has to be drug related for the lack of any type of logical thought process here. Or maybe there is a reason I am not seeing?

I wonder if they DID get any prints off of the seat...

I don't think I have ever said "this makes no sense" so many times on a case before.

 

[forthelost]

I guess I'm just not seeing the logic to having them in two separate places days apart. Maybe if the car seat had been destroyed to cover up finger prints... but just leaving it by a creek makes no sense. This almost has to be drug related for the lack of any type of logical thought process here. Or maybe there is a reason I am not seeing?
.

Maybe it was right by the banks and they thought it would be carried away.

And if they were truly trying to sell the baby they might have rationalized they wouldn't need the car seat, and anyone who saw it would assume the baby was thrown in the creek.

 

[MsFacetious]

I would think we would have heard if there was any searches of the creek, right?

So if they didn't search the creek, what caused law enforcement to believe he had NOT been put in the creek? :waitasec:

This was Friday... long before they knew someone was trying to sell a baby, or before they found the baby.

Maybe it was right by the banks and they thought it would be carried away.

And if they were truly trying to sell the baby they might have rationalized they wouldn't need the car seat, and anyone who saw it would assume the baby was thrown in the creek.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Just bumping this picture of Ana and Anthony. You can see Anthony's little dimples as he smiles. So cute. May there be answers soon.

 

[Cazzie]

Just bumping this picture of Ana and Anthony. You can see Anthony's little dimples as he smiles. So cute. May there be answers soon.

Yes, I love that photo for that reason!

It's hard to look at Ana, though, without thinking about what happened. She looks so content and proud of him, and she only had such a brief time with him. Perhaps she will be his guardian angel.

I'm still going with the idea that he's alive. Wish those I.D. results would hurry up...

 

[cook78]

Shouldn't they have the results back by now?? I wonder what the hold up is?

 

[MsFacetious]

I still find it odd they haven't let the father see the baby. Law enforcement seems quite confident that this baby IS Anthony. If they are so sure it is Anthony, then why not let Dad go see him?

Obviously, you can't let him take him home, or be in control of the baby until he's positively identified... but there's no reason an officer couldn't escort him to see his baby, after his wife has been murdered and the baby was missing for 5 days.

Really... that seems pretty odd/cold/suspicious to me.

 

[cook78]

Maybe they know something we don't? I really dislike it when we don't get updated on a particular case.

 

[MsFacetious]

It appears that Nancy Grace will be covering this tonight.... subject to change but as of now that appears to be the plan.

There is still no news since the 10th.