Motive for two gunmen breaking into a San Antonio home and kidnapping couple in front of their five children on Wednesday, unknown, but cops find couple safe Thursday morning – two suspects arrested, manhunt on for third suspect
Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga, 38, and Ricky Zuniga, 37, were kidnapped by gunmen who broke into their San Antonio home on Wednesday and removed them
Cops say the five kids watched two gunmen forcefully remove their parents
Thursday morning San Antonio police announced that the couple have been found at a location off Culebra Road and reunited with their kids
San Antonio police announced they have charged two suspects, as they search for a third accomplice who remains at large
Felipe Patricio Valdez, 40, is charged with aggravated kidnapping, and his bail was set at $250,000.
Xhavier Zeke Martinez, 29, is charged with aggravated kidnapping, deadly conduct with a firearm, evading arrest and interfering with public duties, with bail set at $256,000
It’s clear if the homeowners knew the intruders, but police said the kidnapping was targeted, not a ‘random act’

Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga and Ricky Zuniga, [photo], were kidnapped by gunmen who broke into their San Antonio home on Wednesday and removed them as their five kids watched
The sadness and despair following the snatching of a San Antonio couple kidnapped in front of their five children by two gunmen who broke into their home and ‘forcefully’ removed them has been replaced by the relief of their being found unharmed after 24 hours. How ever the mystery of why has not been resolved.
Officers were called to a home in the 3100 block of Mission Bell around 6am on Wednesday and were told by the children, who were unharmed, that the suspects fled in a white SUV.
Friends and family online identified the couple are Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga, 38, and Ricky Zuniga, 37.

Felipe Patricio Valdez [photo], 40, was charged with aggravated kidnapping

Xhavier Zeke Martinez, 29, [photo], was charged with aggravated kidnapping, deadly conduct with a firearm, evading arrest and interfering with public duties
A friend of the couple shared that the Texas parents were taken from their home point at gunpoint in front of their kids and that there is no motive yet.
‘We have no idea where they were taken and the police and FBI are investigating,’ one friend wrote in a social media post Wednesday afternoon.
On Thursday it was announced that the couple have been found safe by police. The pair were found at a location off Culebra Road near West Commerce Street on the West Side.

Friends and family members online identified Samantha and Ricky Zuniga as the parents abducted in front of their children by unknown gunmen in San Antonio, Texas, on Wednesday morning
San Antonio Police confirming that the parents were reunited with their kids, said ‘Our Special Victim’s Unit detectives have been working tirelessly and we are happy to confirm that the victims have been reunited with their families and are safe,’ they said on Thursday.
‘We have made two arrests in this case, but we are still looking for a third person involved.
‘This is all we can confirm a this time as this is an ongoing investigation. Felipe Patricio Valdez, 40, and Xhavier Zeke Martinez, 29, were taken into custody.
Valdez was charged with aggravated kidnapping, and his bail was set at $250,000.
Martinez is facing charges of aggravated kidnapping and had existing warrants for deadly conduct with a firearm, evading arrest and interfering with public duties. His bail has been set at $256,000.

San Antonio cops called to a home in the 3100 block of Mission Bell around 6am on Wednesday and were told by the children that the suspects fled in a white SUV
According to local outlets, the children told police they didn’t know the suspects. Police did not identify the couple and no description was given for the suspects in this case. It was friends and family members online who identified Samantha and Ricky as the kidnapped parents.
‘San Antonio friends and family, my cousin Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga, and her husband Ricky Zuniga, were kidnapped at gunpoint this morning from their home in front of their children,’ wrote Mujer Fiera in a post.
‘Growing up, she was my neighbor and the person who nicknamed me ‘Honey.’ I was part of the crew that welcomed her home as a baby and made it my goal to be a part of her care team,’ Fiera continued.

John Garcia Jr., seen [left] with Samantha and Ricky Zuniga wrote: ‘Man if anyone knows ANYTHING let us kno aint NO REST til these 2 Ricky & Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga come home!!!’
The woman described Samantha as a ‘fierce young woman’ who has raised five children of her own in addition to her little sister.
‘She’s an incredible survivor, and I pray that she can come home safely to her babies very soon. Send love and prayers her way. Love you mija!’ the post stated.

The motive behind the kidnapping of Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga and her husband Ricky Zuniga, [photo], has not been released
In one Facebook post, another friend begged friends to be on the lookout and asked for prayers and for God to look over the couple.
‘Man if anyone knows ANYTHING let us kno aint NO REST til these 2 Ricky & Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga come home!!!’ wrote John Garcia Jr.
In that post, Garcia Jr. shared a photo of himself with the couple along with a snip of a news story reporting the kidnapping.
‘GOD I’ve came to u less than a handful of times in my life for something I really really loved or needed but this right here PLEASE IN THE NAME OF UR SON JESUS watch over my brother n sister & just bring them home,’ Garcia wrote.

This is the couple’s home in San Antonio where they were kidnapped from their home in the 3100 block of Mission Bell in San Antonio around 6am on Wednesday

Police are seen outside the Zuniga family home on September 6
An investigation led police to a home where they were able to locate the parents and the suspects. Police said the parents were checked out by EMS but were not injured.
While it’s not clear if the parents knew the intruders, police did say the kidnapping was targeted, ‘not a random act’. Investigators have not released the motive.
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