VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A three-day search continues for a Virginia Beach boy, who police believe has been abducted. Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo, 12, of Virginia Beach was last seen by his parents Friday morning in the 200 block of Mica Avenue.
Prior to the report of him missing, his parent's believed he was at a friend's house. It was not until around 9:00 p.m. Friday when Acevedo did not come back home that his parent's contacted police.
During their investigation and search for him, evidence of his disappearance led VBPD to treat his case as an abduction and contacted Virginia State Police to issue an AMBER Alert. That AMBER Alert was issued on Saturday, Jan. 25 around 7 a.m.
Watch previous coverage: Ransom request prompts abduction investigation for Virginia Beah boy
News 3 learned Sunday that Acevedo's parents were on Facebook Live when they received a ransom request for their child via WhatsApp.
Juan is a Hispanic male who, about 105 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
VBPD, with the assistance of state and Hampton police, have deployed bloodhounds, drones, helicopters, and mounted patrols in their search.
Marine units have been searching nearby lakes and ponds, although police say they do not believe this to be a recovery mission, meaning they believe Acevedo is still alive.
Watch previous coverage: Amber alert issued for missing Virginia Beach boy
VBPD said in a release that Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not have Avecedo in their custody.
AMBER Alerts are issued for missing children believed to be in danger. To send an AMBER Alert, certain criteria must be met.
- The child must be 17 years old or younger.
- There must be reasonable belief the child was abducted OR law enforcement believes the child is in imminent danger.
- The child is entered into the national Crime Information Center's missing person files.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Virginia Beach police.
