Laredo, Texas, - D. True Brown, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the San Antonio Division of the FBI, announced that at approximately 8:00 pm Monday, December 19, 2006, kidnap victim Librado Pina Jr. was returned safely to the United States. Pina Jr. was released in an unidentified area of Mexico during the early morning hours of December 18, 2006. Upon his arrival in the United States, Pina Jr. was taken to a hospital in Laredo, Texas, where he was examined and released a short time later.

All three US citizens kidnapped during this incident, identified as Librado Pina Jr. age 49, Librado Pina III age 25, and David Mueller age 45 of Sweetwater, Texas, have now been safely returned to their families. The investigation is on-going into the whereabouts and safety of Mexican National Fidel Rodriguez Cerdan, identified as the cook at the Pina ranch during the time of the kidnappings.

The release and safe return of Pina Jr. is a relief to the Pina family and law enforcement agencies working on this investigation. However, this development is tempered by the fact that over 20 US citizens reported kidnapped within Mexico since 2004 still remain unaccounted for.

Anyone possessing any information relative to this investigation is urged to contact the nearest FBI office, or to call telephone number 210-225-6741 for the FBI office in San Antonio, Texas.

A criminal complaint is an accusation of criminal conduct and is not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent until convicted through due process of law.

SA Erik Vasys Media Representative Tel: 210-978-5432 Cell: 210-336-1050 Erik.Vasys@IC.FBI.GOV

FBI San Antonio, 615 East Houston Street, Suite 200, San Antonio, Texas 78205