MOBILE, AL – Federal agents rescued a three-year-old Alabama child who was abducted and taken across the U.S.-Mexico border by her mother in a case that has drawn national attention for its international scope and disturbing details.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), working with U.S. and Mexican law enforcement, arrested Haley Harris after she allegedly kidnapped her child and fled to Mexico in an attempt to evade authorities.
The child was safely recovered and flown back to the United States on Oct. 4, where she was reunited with her father at Atlanta International Airport.
Mother accused of fleeing across border amid ongoing investigation
Investigators said Harris had made extensive contact with her boyfriend, identified as Pedro Pedraza-Trejo, an undocumented individual facing serious child molestation and rape charges in Washington State. Records show Harris called him nearly 200 times in a matter of days while unlawfully holding the child.
Officials said the nature of those communications, combined with Harris’s decision to cross international borders, heightened the urgency of the case and the risk to the child’s safety.
Joint operation spans multiple agencies and countries
HSI Mobile led the rescue in coordination with HSI Mexico City, the U.S. Department of State, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange Beach Police Department, and Mexico’s National Institute of Migration. Harris was located, arrested, and extradited back to the U.S. on Sept. 28 before being taken into custody by HSI Mobile and the Marshals Service.
Special Agent in Charge Steven N. Schrank credited the “swift and decisive” actions of law enforcement partners in both countries for securing the child’s safe return and ensuring Harris faces prosecution.
Federal charges filed as investigation continues
Harris now faces federal charges for international parental kidnapping. Authorities said the case remains active as investigators continue to review her actions before and during the abduction.