A Forest Park man who allegedly abducted his four children from their mother's apartment has been formally charged with kidnapping, police confirmed Thursday.
The whereabouts of Francisco Madrigal, 36, and the children are still not known. He was last seen shortly after 8 p.m. Monday leaving his ex-girlfriend's Forest Park apartment with their three sons and daughter, ages 6 to 12. Miriam Rivera, the mother of the missing kids, said he took them without her consent.
Forest Park police spokesman Maj. Chris Matson said calls have come in from several states since the Levi's Call alert was issued Tuesday.
"It's a good possibility" Madrigal left the state, he said. "We're tracking down several leads. Unfortunately, many of those leads end up conflicting."
Elsa Madrigal, the suspect's sister, told reporters Tuesday her nephews and niece are in no danger but authorities disagree. Matson said Francisco Madrigal has exhibited "violent behavior" in the past, including one incident three years ago involving his sister's two small children -- the same sister who's defending him now, Matson said.
According to police, Madrigal threw a brick through his sister's front door, sending shards of glass onto the floor that cut the feet of her children, ages 2 and 1. He plead guilty to cruelty to children and disorderly conduct and was ordered to complete an anger management class, Matson said.
"Any time you're dealing with a domestic situation like this you have to assume the children are in danger," he said.
Madrigal, who also faces charges of interference with custody, has made contact with his ex-girlfriend since Monday, Matson said, but he did not disclose their whereabouts. Family members said he could be headed to Texas, Indiana, Tennessee or Michigan.
The suspect is described as about 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with dark hair and tattoos including a scorpion on his right hand, the name “Miriam” on his chest and a rose on his upper left arm. He's believed to be driving a brown Chevrolet Tahoe with an unknown Indiana license plate or a white Ford Explorer.
Police identified the children as Geneicey Madrigal, 6; Michael Allen Madrigal, 10; Francisco Benjamin Madrigal, 10, and Jose Javier Madrigal, 12.
Anyone with information about the incident or the whereabouts of the man and children is asked to contact the Forest Park Police Department at 404-366-4141.
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