A mother who was kidnapped in front of her children has been found murdered inside her own car, Fort Wayne Police Department has reported.
Maria Del Scorro Maldonado Ambriz, 39, was found on January 29, with apparent gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
The shooting occurred at approximately 5:19 p.m. in the area of Fairfax Ave and Standish Drive. There were multiple witnesses to the shooting.
The Fort Wayne Police department has released a statement calling on the public to identify the suspected shooter.
The statement said that Ambriz had been kidnapped while at home with her two children. The suspect was dressed in all black and forced his way into their home on Standish Drive. The kidnapper also had a short-barreled rifle and a black backpack.
"After threatening to kill the victim and her children, the suspect kidnapped the victim and forced her to drive him away in her SUV and shot her to death just 4 blocks from her home," it said in the statement.
"[The suspect] fired approximately 30 rifle rounds in her vehicle. The suspect then ran westbound from Standish Drive in the 2100 block Fair Fax Avenue."
Police have released a short video showing the alleged shooter running down a road. They are asking for those who live in the area to review any security camera footage they have to see if it captured the suspect.
It is not yet known whether the kidnapper knew Ambriz. Detectives are currently interviewing witnesses and crime scene technicians are processing the scene in an effort to obtain additional details and discover a motive for the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Fort Wayne Police Department at (260) 427-1222, Crime Stoppers at (260) 436-7867 or use the free "P3 Tips" App.
Newsweek has contacted the Fort Wayne Police Department for comment.
The homicide came less than two weeks after Fort Wayne Chief of Police Steve Reed said the city was moving in the right direction on safety and crime.
"It's vital that residents, businesses, and visitors feel safe in our community, and the collective work we're doing provides comfort that Fort Wayne is a safe city that's moving in the right direction," Reed said in a speech on January 19.
He continued: "The Fort Wayne Police Department is dedicated to meeting the safety needs of our community.
"While many other large cities have seen a dramatic rise in homicides and overall violent crime, we have not. I want to thank the officers and staff of the Fort Wayne Police Department for their hard work and dedication."
In a press release of the speech, it was highlighted that for 2021, overall crime was down 6 percent, violent crime was down 36.74 percent and property crimes were down 0.05 percent.
