USMS Task Force Investigation Leads to Recovery of 2 Abducted Children at Known Human Smuggling Stash House in Mexico

Las Cruces, NM – Two children abducted by their mother in 2023 and taken to Mexico were safely returned to the U.S. yesterday.

“The United States Marshal Service in the District of New Mexico is dedicated to the safety and security of our most valuable resource and best hope for our future, the children of our communities,” said U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico David O. Barnett, Jr. “The recovery of these children is an example of the steadfast and relentless dedication demonstrated by our federal, local, and foreign partners.” 

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) District of New Mexico Southwest Fugitive Team developed information Aug. 27 and passed it along to Mexican authorities, who were able to act on it, resulting in the children’s recovery.

The children’s paternal grandmother, Araceli Martinez, filed a missing person/custodial interference report with the Sunland Park Police Department on Dec. 4, 2023, alleging that the children’s mother, Jennifer Burciaga, had abducted the two little girls. Martinez told law enforcement that on Oct. 11, 2023, Burciaga arrived at her residence and took the two children without her permission, while they were playing outside. At the time of the abduction the children were in the custody of their father. 
On July 29 the Sunland Park Police Department reached out to the U.S. Marshals Service to help locate the two children. 

Mexican authorities Fiscalia General del Estado, acting on information provided by the U.S. Marshals, were able to identify and locate the two children on Aug. 27 at their maternal grandmother’s residence, which has been reported by Mexican authorities as a known human smuggling stash house, in Ciudad Juarez. 

The two girls were repatriated yesterday and turned over to the Children, Youth & Families Department at the Port of Entry in Santa Teresa. 

The U.S. Marshals Service District of New Mexico – Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team for the recovery is composed of officers/agents from the USMS task force, the Sunland Park Police Department, Border Patrol, Department of State, CYFD, Agencia Estatal de Investigaciones de Chihuahua and Desarrollo Integral de la Familia.

Anyone with information on wanted fugitives is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102 or the USMS Tips App.