Perinton Amber Alert Now ends with 3 kidnapping charges
Perinton amber alert now led Monroe County sheriff's deputies to a home on Saturday afternoon after a caller reported that a woman and two children had been abducted. Three people were later charged with kidnapping, and deputies located the reported victims unharmed in Rochester.
The reported victims were Mouna Omar Saleh Ali, 54, Julie Abdulla Saleh, 7, and Hafiz Mouna Ali Ali, 9. Major Jeff Wagner said investigators worked with multiple local, state, and federal partners to spread information fast enough to bring the three back safely.
Jeff Wagner in Monroe County
Deputies responded around 3:20 p.m. to a home in Perinton after the abduction report came in, then gathered camera footage from nearby homes and images of a vehicle and people who may have been involved. The sheriff's office issued an AMBER Alert and a county-wide BOLO while coordinating with the New York State Thruway Authority, Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport, and Canadian border officials.
Wagner said, "We worked with multiple local, state, and federal partners to disseminate information about this abduction and about the victims to bring about a safe return of all three of them" and later added, "As a result of a very tireless and dedicated investigation by all the police officers and law enforcement involved, we located all three victims at a residence in the city of Rochester. They were located uninjured, and they are currently safe."
Three suspects in custody
Gamil S. Ahmed, Omar Saleh, and Dajour L. Paul were taken into custody for questioning and each charged with three counts of second-degree kidnapping. A judge entered a not-guilty plea for all three on Saturday, and they remained in custody with no bail set after the Sunday court appearance.
Authorities were still looking for Amar Abdullah Qasim Saleh, 26. His lawyer, David Stern, said, "It's my understanding that there was no abduction here," adding, "Nobody could put together a case to say that these children were taken against their will or against the will of a guardian."
Monday morning court date
The three suspects were set to return to court Monday morning, while investigators continued working to determine the circumstances leading to the case. The child welfare agency had not yet responded to a request for more information, and the district attorney's office declined to comment.
