CA KEVIN VERVILLE: Missing from Camp Pendleton, CA - 1 July 1980 - Age 17 days (1 Viewer)

This Oceanside baby was a newborn when he was last seen. Is this how he looks now?

Kevin Verville Jr., who was 17 days old when he was kidnapped, would be 45 years old this weekend

www.nbcsandiego.com

This Oceanside baby was a newborn when he was last seen. Is this how he looks now?​

A decades-old abduction case involving a newborn infant from Oceanside is being re-opened by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Officials said on Tuesday that they believe there’s a good chance Kevin Verville Jr. is alive and about to celebrate his 45th birthday.

Kevin was just 17 days old when he was kidnapped in July 1980 by a woman who called herself “Sheila” and claimed she was a social worker for an agency called Help, which assisted young military families with infants. The agency doesn’t exist.

The suspect, who was in her 20s at the time and had red or blond curly hair and wore eyeglasses, had gone door-to-door in a military housing complex called Sterling Homes, allegedly “baby shopping.” As many as 40 families were contacted before she set her sights on the Vervilles.

“She was knocking on doors until she could find the specific baby that she was looking for,” said Angeline Hartmann of NCMEC.

The kidnapper appeared to be looking for a child who was part Filipino. kevin's mother was from the Philippines, so he was a perfect fit, investigators believe.

A day or two after meeting the Verville family, the phony social worker returned to the home and said she needed to take the infant to her office to be measured and so the proper forms could be filled out. The baby’s mother got in the back of "Sheila’s" car, which stopped in front of another home, allegedly to pick up another mother and her infant. The woman pretending to be a social worker asked Angelina to knock on the door and said she would watch the baby. When Angelina walked to the door, though, the car sped off with the baby they called Junior strapped in his car seat.

Angelina Verville, who didn’t think to get a license plate number, was devastated, of course, and so was her husband. They worked with Oceanside Police and the FBI for weeks, but their baby was never found.

“The female that potentially did the abduction could have suffered a loss of a child or couldn’t get pregnant or had some kind of trauma in her own life,” Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi said on Tuesday.

Moshrefi said the kidnapper likely took good care of the infant.

“I hope that they had love in their heart and Kevin is alive and well, and a productive member of society,” Moshrefi said.

The case is getting a closer look now because of a little sister Kevin Verville, Jr. never knew.

Angelica Ramsey was born 5 years after her big brother was abducted. Her life was lived in the shadow of shattered parents who were devastated after his kidnapping.

Ramsey decided to start searching for her brother through DNA sites like 23 and Me, and then she reached out to the FBI to see if there were any developments in her brother’s case. She believes DNA technology will lead to a family reunion.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Have you seen this child? Kevin Art Verville

Missing From: Oceanside, CA. Missing Date: July 1, 1980. Kevin's photo is shown age-progressed to 45 years. He went missing from military base housing in Oceanside, California when he was 17 days old. Kevin was believed to have been abducted by a white female, in her early 20's at the time of...

www.missingkids.org

Kevin's photo is shown age-progressed to 45 years. He went missing from military base housing in Oceanside, California when he was 17 days old. Kevin was believed to have been abducted by a white female, in her early 20's at the time of the abduction. She appeared to possibly be pregnant, and had red or blond colored hair. She was wearing glasses. She used the name "Sheila"; however, the name was not confirmed to be her real name. She had what appeared to be a tattoo on her left hand in the area between her index finger and thumb. It was described as a circle tattoo with an "x" inside. It is believed that the hair, glasses and even the pregnancy could have been a disguise.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Stolen at 17 Days: Can New Image Find Kevin Verville?

On July 1, 1980, Angelina Verville watched helplessly as a woman drove away with her 17-day-old son....

www.missingkids.org

Stolen at 17 Days: Can New Image Find Kevin Verville?​

On July 1, 1980, Angelina Verville watched helplessly as a woman drove away with her 17-day-old son. She hasn’t seen him since.

For more than four decades, the Verville family has lived without their son and brother but never gave up hope that he was out there. Today, with new emphasis on the case and a new image of what Kevin Jr. might look like now, can you be the key to bringing Kevin Jr. home?

Before baby Kevin’s abduction, an unknown woman knocked on Angelina and Kevin Verville's door. The couple lived in the Sterling Homes apartment complex in Oceanside, California, off-base housing for military families stationed at Camp Pendleton. They had a newborn infant, Kevin Jr., who had just come home from the hospital.

This woman called herself “Sheila,” and said she was from an organization called “HELP,” whose mission was to assist young, low-income military families. She said she could help with things like diapers, formula and even assist financially. For the Vervilles, this seemed like a great opportunity. “Sheila” agreed to come back soon and said she would take them to the “HELP” offices to enroll baby Kevin in the program.

Then, on July 1, 1980, “Sheila” returned to the Vervilles' apartment. Kevin Sr. had just returned home from the grocery store and was putting away the groceries, so they agreed that Angelina and baby Kevin would go with “Sheila” to the “HELP” offices.

That’s when Angelina and her infant son got into “Sheila’s” car, described as a gray or silver four-door sedan. “Sheila” said that they needed to stop and pick up another mother who was also enrolling her child in the program. When “Sheila” and Kevin Jr.’s mom arrived in a remote rural area in North San Diego County, “Sheila” pulled over and asked Angelina to knock on the door of a nearby house to get the other mother. But when Angelina got out, “Sheila” sped away with baby Kevin.

Angelina was left standing alone on the side of the road, with no one around to help.

In the days and months following baby Kevin’s abduction, the San Diego FBI office became involved in the case, extensively searching for Kevin Jr. and the unknown woman. It turns out, “Sheila” had spent several days in the Sterling Homes apartment complex leading up to Kevin Jr.’s abduction, speaking with dozens of residents. Investigators believe she was trying to find a baby that fit what she was looking for – apparently an infant under six months old and part Filipino.

Because there were so many residents that interacted with this woman, those witnesses were able to help put together a sketch of what the unknown woman looked like. From the Vervilles' accounts, along with other residents, investigators say they’re looking for a woman who was in her twenties back in 1980, with red or blond frizzy hair.

She had a tattoo on her left hand in the webbing between her thumb and index finger. It was described as a circle with an ‘X’ inside. “Sheila” also appeared pregnant.

This is in line with what NCMEC has seen in other similar cases. From more than 60 years' worth of data, NCMEC has developed a profile of “typical” infant abductor: a woman of childbearing age, who appears pregnant, and may be trying to replace a baby lost through miscarriage.

Despite the initial search for Kevin Jr., there were few leads, and the case eventually went cold.

No one has been named, arrested or charged in connection with the disappearance of Kevin Jr.

“It’s very possible that Kevin Art Verville, Jr. is out there, alive, with no idea about his real identity and we need your help to bring him home,” said Angeline Hartmann, NCMEC’s director of communications. “Here at the Center, we’ve analyzed more than 300 infant abduction cases nationwide and we’ve seen that abductors often target infants when they’re looking for a child to raise as their own. It’s likely Kevin Jr. doesn’t know what happened to him and that his biological parents are still searching for him. Today, he could be anywhere so we’re asking everyone to be part of this search.”

Recently, Kevin Jr.’s sister, Angelica Ramsey, who was born after Kevin Jr. was abducted, reached out to investigators for an update on her brother’s case.

“Although baby Kevin was abducted 45 years ago, FBI San Diego’s work to reunite him with his family has not ceased,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “In 1980, FBI San Diego worked around the clock to locate kidnapped baby Kevin, and we remain committed today. We ask the public to please view baby Kevin’s age progression photo and submit tips to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.”

The FBI is continuing to honor a $10,000 reward for information that leads to locating Kevin Verville, Jr., as well as the arrest and conviction of those responsible for his abduction.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://ktla.com/news/california/fbi-renewed-efforts-locate-missing-child/

Authorities reignite search for newborn abducted by fake social worker 40 years ago​

More than 40 years after a 17-day-old was ripped from his family in Southern California, authorities hope a new age-progression image could be the key to finding the now-adult man who likely has no idea about his real parentage.

The FBI and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have released a new rendering of what Kevin Art Verville Jr., now 44, might look like if he’s still alive like they believe.

Kevin was abducted from his mother in San Diego County on July 1, 1980, by a woman posing as a social worker who claimed to be offering parental assistance to low-income military families near Camp Pendleton.


Investigators later learned that the woman had been lurking in the off-base apartment complex for days leading up to the abduction, specifically looking for a child that met her criteria: under 6 months old and part Filipino.


Unlike many missing child cases from decades ago, investigators believe Kevin Jr. is likely still alive, taken by his abductor to be raised as her own.

According to 60 years’ worth of data, NCMEC says the profile of a “typical” infant abductor is usually “a woman of childbearing age, who appears pregnant, and may be trying to replace a baby lost through miscarriage.”