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Modesto Mother Of 2 Allegedly Kidnapped By Estranged Husband At Gunpoint, Taken To Mexico

MODESTO (CBS13) – Authorities are searching for a Modesto mother of two who was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint Sunday by her estranged husband and was believed to have been taken to Mexico, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office said on Thursday.

Javier Chavez, 41, of Modesto, allegedly had also taken Susana Torres' children, 8 and 2, at gunpoint before dropping both of them off at his parents' house Sunday night, deputies said. They were all abducted outside of a market on Butte Avenue.

See photos of Chavez and Torres below.

Susana Torres
Susana Torres (credit: Stanislaus County Sheriff\'s Office)
Javier Chavez
Javier Chavez (credit: Stanislaus County Sheriff\'s Office)

The sheriff's office said when Chavez never returned to pick the children back up, his parents took the 8-year-old to Torres' parents' home, and that is when all parties learned Torres was missing. Chavez is the father of the 2-year-old.

Investigators said it is believed Chavez and Torres had already crossed the border into Mexico when she was reported missing.

"We have been trying to trace back from the point of the kidnapping to when Chavez crossed the border to Mexico," Det. Darwin Summerton said. "We have followed up on several leads but still have not been able to locate Torres."

Investigators said Torres had a restraining order against Chavez and he had already been wanted by Modesto police on charges of rape.

Anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Chavez or Torres is urged to contact Detective Summerton at 209-525-7032 or Detective Esquivez (for Spanish speakers) at 209-652-1792.

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