Las Cruces Baby Missing Since Dec. 26 Found Safe
The 1-year-old girl Las Cruces Police said was taken by her mother on Dec. 26 is back in Las Cruces while Nicole Jauregui and her boyfriend are in custody in El Paso and awaiting extradition to New Mexico .
Nicole Jauregui and her boyfriend Jose Mendez, both 21, are being held without bond at the El Paso County Jail. The couple was arrested Saturday morning as they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso. Nicole Jauregui’s daughter, Nevaeh, was with the couple and was immediately taken into protective custody. The young girl has since been returned to the care of family in Las Cruces, according to police officials.
Nicole Jauregui and Mendez face charges of child abuse in New Mexico after Nevaeh tested positive for illegal drugs in mid-December, according to Las Cruces Police. Nevaeh had been placed in the temporary custody of her grandmother, Nicole Jauregui’s mother, but was taken by Nicole Jauregui and Mendez on Dec. 26, police said.
It is not known when Nicole Jauregui and Mendez will be extradited to New Mexico .
The Las Cruces Police Department was assisted by agents from the U.S. Marshals Office, Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, and by several area law enforcement agencies including the El Paso Police Department, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police.
