Alejandro Ripley

Mother who claimed 2 men stole her son from car was alone in parking lot, source says. He was found dead hours later.

A Florida woman who said two men kidnapped her son was reportedly sitting alone in her car when the alleged incident occurred.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, 47-year-old Patricia Ripley told police that two unknown men cut her off in traffic on Thursday night, close to Southwest 158th Avenue and Kendall Drive in Miami. She said the men then kidnapped her son, 9-year-old Alejandro Ripley.

Ripley claimed the men sideswiped her car, then pulled in front of her near the Home Depot off of Kendall drive, forcing her to stop. One man, according to Ripley, walked up to her and demanded drugs. When she didn’t have any, she said he grabbed Alejandro and her cellphone and fled.

Hours later, police found the boy’s body at the Miccosukee Golf and Country Club, close to water. Local 10 reports that authorities pulled the child’s body from a nearby canal.

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The Miami Herald reports that a source close to the case said that security footage at the Home Depot showed Ripley sitting by herself in her car for around 20 minutes around the time the supposed abduction took place. Alejandro was not in the car with her. She then called police. It’s unclear what phone she used to contact authorities.

The source added that police were at the scene within two minutes.

Ripley described the suspects as two black males in a light blue, four-door sedan. She said one of the men had cornrows and wore a black bandana over his face. No one matching the man’s description or the car’s description has been found.

There was also no evidence that Ripley was forced off of the road, the outlet reports.

Alejandro was non-verbal and autistic; he may have attended the Greater Heights Academy at some point, a school for special needs children. Although the family has not confirmed where he went to school, court records reportedly indicate that the school filed a lawsuit against Patricia Ripley for $4,100 in unpaid tuition in 2016.

Anyone with tips in connection to the case should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

The story continues to develop. Check back for updates.

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[Feature Photo: Alejandro Ripley/Police Handout]