Kidnapped boy found in ‘extremely good condition’

Cole Puffinburger, the 6-year-old boy who had been the subject of an Amber Alert since Wednesday, was found alive and in “extremely good condition” late Saturday night in the area of 17th Street and Oakey Boulevard, police said.

Two detectives were passing out missing persons fliers in the area when somebody called police about 10:23 p.m. reporting that a boy fitting Cole’s description was walking down the sidewalk in the area, Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Vincent Cannito said.
The detectives responded to the area and confirmed the boy was Cole. He was taken to University Medical Center to make sure he was OK, which Cannito said he was.

“It’s just a blessing that this child has been found,” Cannito said.

Cannito did not answer questions during a 12:30 a.m. Sunday news conference outside the department’s Investigative Services Division at Oakey and Decatur boulevards.

He was joined at the news conference by Cole’s father, an emotional Robert Puffinburger, who has worked day and night since his son’s disappearance passing out fliers around the community.

“I thank this whole community. I can’t thank you enough,” Puffinburger said, his voice cracking and his eyes welling up. “Thank you so much for helping me find my son.”

The 28-year-old said he had just gone home from passing out fliers when he got the call from police.

“I just got the call 'We got 'em,’” Puffinburger said. “And I said, 'You got who?’ 'Your son!’”

Puffinburger hadn’t seen his son, he said.

“I’m just glad he’s safe and he’s back home and into the right hands,” he said. “I can’t wait to see him.”

Las Vegas police devoted about 100 detectives working 12-hour shifts to the case since Cole was taken from his east valley home Wednesday morning.

Now that he’s been found, Cannito said the case is closed, but other cases relating to his disappearance are still open.

“The investigation regarding this child is concluded,” Cannito said. “The remainder of the investigation shifts, and our focus now goes onto the drug dealing, to potential extortion issues as well as other issues certainly that are involved in this investigation at this time.”

Cole’s kidnapping was a “message” for millions of dollars the boy’s maternal grandfather, Clemens Tinnemeyer, had stolen from a Mexican drug cartel through drug trafficking, primarily in methamphetamine, according to sources and police.

Sources said the amount of money stolen was between $8 million and $20 million and that he had been hiding.
Tinnemeyer was arrested late Friday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after being named as a person of interest, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

Tinnemeyer was arrested on a material witness warrant and was being held Saturday at the San Bernardino County Central Detention Center.

Cannito said police have interviewed Tinnemeyer, but he wouldn’t elaborate on what Cole’s grandfather told them.

Police earlier Saturday had identified two other “persons of interest” in the case, one person who Cannito wouldn’t name but has been interviewed by police and another that police are searching for.

The other person sought for questioning is Jesus Gastelum, a 5-foot-9-inch man in his mid-30s weighing about 185 pounds. He is believed to be in Las Vegas or Southern California.

Cole’s kidnapping exploded into a national story within 24 hours of the incident.

Police said two or possibly three men claimed to be police officers before they entered Cole’s home on Cherry Grove Avenue, near Hollywood and Lake Mead boulevards, about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday.

The men demanded money, and the boy’s mother and her fiance told them they didn’t have any, police said. The men used zip ties to restrain the two, gagged them and searched the house, police said.

When they didn’t find money, they took Cole and fled in a vehicle, police said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.
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Kidnapped boy found alive

Cole Puffinburger, the 6-year-old boy who had been the subject of an Amber Alert since Wednesday, was found alive late Saturday night in the area of 17th Street and Oakey Boulevard, police said.

Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Vincent Cannito said a call came in around 10:23 p.m. reporting that Cole had been found.

Officers responded to the area and confirmed that the boy was in fact Cole.

Cole appeared to be OK and was transported to a local hospital, where he was checked out as a precautionary measure, police said.

Authorities have begun to focus their investigation into the kidnapping of Cole, identifying two additional "persons of interest" on Saturday and canceling an Amber Alert for the boy that had been broadcast across the region since his Wednesday morning kidnapping.

The announcements were made after the Friday evening arrest of the boy's 51-year-old maternal grandfather in Riverside, Calif.

"The number of tips we've been receiving over the Amber Alert line has slowed considerably," Cannito said. "As such, we believe the effective­ness of the Amber Alert has run its course."

Police are following up on dozens of leads received through tipsters and interviews and have recently served several search warrants in the case.

Of the two "persons of interest" police mentioned Saturday, one has been interviewed, but police aren't releasing the person's name.

The other person sought for questioning is Jesus Gastelum, a 5-foot-9 inch man in his mid-30s weighing about 185 pounds. He is believed to be in Las Vegas or Southern California.

Police wouldn't say why they were looking for Gastelum.

"Throughout the course of this investigation, we have identified a number of leads that have taken us to several individuals, he being one of them," Cannito said.

On Friday and Saturday authorities also recovered a "large amount of cash" through search warrants served at different areas around the country, Cannito said.

He wouldn't say where those warrants were served.

Clemens Tinnemeyer, Cole's grandfather, was arrested late Friday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation , after being named as a person of interest, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

Tinnemeyer was arrested on a material witness warrant and was being held Saturday at the San Bernardino County Central Detention Center.

Cannito said police have interviewed Tinnemeyer, but he wouldn't elaborate on what Cole's grandfather told them.

"As we start putting those pieces together, certainly we're optimistic that it's leading us in the right direction," Cannito said.

Authorities believe Tinnemeyer stole millions of dollars through drug trafficking, primarily in methamphetamine, and that three suspects involved in Cole's kidnapping took the boy to send a "message."

The suspects had been looking for money.

Sources have said Tinnemeyer stole between $8 million and $20 million from a Mexican drug cartel.

He was scheduled to appear Monday before a federal magistrate in Riverside.

Cole's father, 28-year-old Robert Puffinburger, seemed in better spirits earlier Saturday evening, before the boy had been found, as he stood in the Target parking lot at Nellis and Charleston boulevards.

"It's looking better," he said.

Puffinburger had been meeting people in the parking lot each night at 6 p.m. to pass out fliers to people who want to hand them out in their neighborhoods.

On Saturday night, people pulled up in their cars to pick up a stack of fliers.

A woman using a motorized wheelchair came up, gave Puffinburger a hug, and wiped tears from her eyes as she hurried away.

"I keep waiting for that call that they've found him," Puffinburger said, glancing down at the cell phone at his side. "I feel like things are getting somewhere."

Billy Joe Murray, the fiance of Cole's mother who was home when Cole was kidnapped, was in the parking lot with Cole's father.

Murray didn't want to talk about the case but made a plea for Cole's safe return.

"I know a lot has been said about what's been going on, but forget about everything else," he said, struggling to fight back tears. "We want Cole back. That's our main goal right now."

The 27-year-old estimator said he was "very hopeful" that Cole would be returned.

"I will not stop hoping," he said. "Cole is an unbelievable child. Everybody loves Cole."

Multiple agencies, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Border Patrol had been assisting in the investigation as news of Cole's kidnapping spread across the country.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.

"I keep waiting for that call that they’ve found him"

By LAWRENCE MOWER
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Authorities have begun to focus their investigation into the kidnapping of 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger, identifying two additional “persons of interest” on Saturday and canceling an Amber Alert for the boy that had been broadcast across the region since his Wednesday morning kidnapping.

The announcements were made after the Friday evening arrest of the boy’s 51-year-old maternal grandfather in Southern California.

“The number of tips we’ve been receiving over the Amber Alert line has slowed considerably,” Las Vegas police Capt. Vincent Cannito said. “As such, we believe the effectiveness of the Amber Alert has run its course.”

Police are following up on dozens of leads received through tipsters and interviews and have recently served several search warrants in the case.
Of the two “persons of interest” police mentioned Saturday, one has been interviewed, but police aren’t releasing the person’s name.

The other person sought for questioning is Jesus Gastelum, a 5-foot-9 inch man in his mid-30s weighing about 185 pounds. He is believed to be in Las Vegas or Southern California.

Police wouldn’t say why they were looking for Gastelum.

“Throughout the course of this investigation, we have identified a number of leads that have taken us to several individuals, he being one of them,” Cannito said.

On Friday and Saturday authorities also recovered a “large amount of cash” through search warrants served at different areas around the country, Cannito said.

He wouldn’t say where those warrants were served.

Clemens Tinnemeyer, Cole’s grandfather, was arrested late Friday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Riverside, Calif., after being named as a person of interest, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

Tinnemeyer was arrested on a material witness warrant and was being held Saturday at the San Bernardino County Central Detention Center.

Cannito said police have interviewed Tinnemeyer, but he wouldn’t elaborate on what Cole’s grandfather told them.

“As we start putting those pieces together, certainly we’re optimistic that it’s leading us in the right direction,” Cannito said.

Authorities believe Tinnemeyer stole millions of dollars through drug trafficking, primarily in methamphetamine, and that three suspects involved in Cole’s kidnapping took the boy to send a “message.”

The suspects had been looking for money.

Sources have said Tinnemeyer stole between $8 million and $20 million from a Mexican drug cartel.

He was scheduled to appear Monday before a federal magistrate in Riverside.
Cole’s father, 28-year-old Robert Puffinburger, seemed in better spirits Saturday evening as he stood in the Target parking lot at Nellis and Charleston boulevards.

“It’s looking better,” he said. “But he’s still not here. I’m still not sleeping, still not eating.”

Robert Puffinburger has been meeting people in the parking lot each night at 6 p.m. to pass out fliers to people who want to hand them out in their neighborhoods.

On Saturday night, people pulled up in their cars to pick up a stack of fliers.

A woman using a motorized wheelchair came up, gave Puffinburger a hug, and wiped tears from her eyes as she hurried away.

“I keep waiting for that call that they’ve found him,” Puffinburger said, glancing down at the cell phone at his side. “I feel like things are getting somewhere.”

Billy Joe Murray, the fiance of Cole’s mother who was home when Cole was kidnapped, was in the parking lot with Cole’s father. Murray didn’t want to talk about the case but made a plea for Cole’s safe return.

“I know a lot has been said about what’s been going on, but forget about everything else,” he said, struggling to fight back tears. “We want Cole back. That’s our main goal right now.”

The 27-year-old estimator said he was “very hopeful” that Cole would be returned.

“I will not stop hoping,” he said. “Cole is an unbelievable child. Everybody loves Cole.”

Police and volunteer groups canvassed an area of about three square miles near Nellis Air Force Base that Cannito said could lead to information about Cole.

“We’re concentrating our efforts, hoping that somebody in the area might have information with regards to Cole,” he said.

Multiple agencies, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Border Patrol have been assisting in the investigation as news of Cole’s kidnapping has spread across the country.

Police still don’t have a description of the vehicle that Cole’s kidnappers fled in.

One of the three suspects is described as having black, shoulder-length, slicked-back hair. He is in his early 30s, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Cole is 3 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 48 pounds and has distinctly stained front teeth. He has blond hair and blue eyes.

The boy was last seen wearing a black John Cena WWE wrestling shirt, dark jeans, a belt, black Vans shoes, white socks and a black, zip-up hooded sweatshirt with white, black and blue stars over it.

Police search northeast; kidnapped boy still missing

Police have now developed two additional "persons of interest." One has been interviewed and is working with police. The other, Jesus Gastelum, was developed as a result of the ongoing investigation.

Las Vegas police Capt. Vincent Cannito said police have "uncovered a large amount of cash" through search warrants served in the last 24 hours in multiple jurisdictions.

Police are combing an area bounded by Nellis Boulevard, Pecos Road, and Craig and Cheyenne avenues, believing there might be information about the whereabouts of Cole to be found there.

An Amber Alert that had been in effect has been canceled because it is no longer effective, Cannito said.

Police found the 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck that belongs to Tinnemeyer, Cannito said.

Three men believed to be Mexican nationals stormed Cole's east valley home Wednesday and were looking for money Tinnemeyer had stolen through drug trafficking, primarily in methamphetamine, according to police.

When the men couldn't find the money, they took Cole, police said.

Tinnemeyer hadn't been seen in Las Vegas since May 21. Sources have said he was an alleged money launderer for a Mexican drug cartel, which he owes $8 million to $20 million.

Police said they believe the kidnapping was an attempt by the drug dealers to send a "message" to Tinnemeyer.

AMBER ALERT: Police seek grandfather

Kidnapping a message from drug dealers, authorities say

By LAWRENCE MOWER
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Millions of dollars stolen from a Mexican drug cartel by 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger's grandfather might have been the catalyst for the Wednesday morning home invasion that led to the boy's kidnapping, according to sources and authorities.

The three men believed to be Mexican nationals who stormed Cole's east valley home were looking for money Clemens Fred "Clem" Tinnemeyer had stolen through drug trafficking, primarily in methamphetamine, according to Las Vegas police.

When the men couldn't find the money, they took Cole, Capt. Vincent Cannito said Friday.

"They wanted to send a very clear message," Cannito said. "Message sent, message received. They got the attention of an entire nation."

Tinnemeyer hasn't been seen in Las Vegas since May 21, and sources said the 51-year-old man is in hiding. Sources have also said he was an alleged money launderer for the cartel and owes them between $8 million and $20 million.

Cannito would only say that the amount of money was in the "millions."

Police have added Tinnemeyer and his white, four-door 2004 Dodge Ram pickup to the Amber Alert network that has been sent out to multiple states. Numerous federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, also are investigating.

"Tinnemeyer has stolen a large sum of money, all proceeds of illegal drug activity," Cannito said. "There are millions of dollars involved in major drug trafficking that this individual was a part of."

Police also are looking into potential involvement in illegal narcotics activity by other family members.

"It would be no understatement that other members of the family are involved as well," Cannito said.

The involvement of a Mexican drug cartel in the kidnapping, sources have said, raises questions about the well-being of the boy.

Cannito wouldn't comment on whether a cartel was involved, but he didn't understate the severity of the situation.

"These are extremely dangerous people," Cannito said. "We said it yesterday, we'll say it again: This is as bad as it gets."

Violence involving cartels has risen in Mexico in recent months to include women and children, according to media reports, and reports of torture and beheadings have become almost commonplace.

"The pressure (from authorities) that's being put upon drug cartels in Mexico, and specific individuals vying for the control of the Mexican cartels, has caused an escalation in violence," DEA spokeswoman Sarah Pullen said from the agency's office in Los Angeles.

"It's violent. It's horrific," she said. "And if you look at what's happened with many of the beheadings that have happened down there, the killings that are done, are definitely to send a message, to terrorize and impact the community."

Tinnemeyer, who is Cole's maternal grandfather, does have a criminal history in Las Vegas, Cannito said, although police wouldn't release details of that history. Evidence of a criminal past doesn't appear in court records.

Records show he filed for bankruptcy in 2001, claiming nearly $330,000 in debts including more than $110,000 in credit card debt.

He last spoke with his family on Aug. 22 and hasn't been heard from since, according to a missing persons report filed by his wife on Sept. 11.

According to the report, Tinnemeyer is an RV driver and leaves home two to three weeks at a time. He is possibly carrying a .38 caliber handgun.

His last known address is the home he owns near Nellis Boulevard and Bonanza Road, not far from Cole's home near Lake Mead and Hollywood boulevards.

The home is just down the street from Stanford Elementary School, where Cole is a first-grader.

People at Tinnemeyer's home declined to comment Thursday night.

Cole's next-door neighbor, Kay J. Bates, said Wednesday that the youngster would often stay with his grandparents.

Cole's disappearance has exploded into a national story, and the boy's school picture has been shown on CNN and Fox News. CNN Headline News host Nancy Grace highlighted the case on her show Thursday night.

Cannito said he has detectives working 12-hour shifts and that the investigation is going around the clock.

"This agency has pulled no resources," he said. "If anything, we've added resources."

Investigators have several persons of interest, including Tinnemeyer.

Cannito declined to elaborate but said the case is "very promising."

However, authorities still have no description of the suspects' vehicle and only a vague description of one of the three suspects.

That suspect is described as having black, shoulder-length, slicked-back hair. He is in his early 30s, 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Tinnemeyer is described as white, 5 feet 10 inches, 200 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. He has a 4-inch scar on his right knee and a 3-inch scar on his left shoulder.

His Dodge Ram has Mississippi license plate number KA6251.

Cole is 3 feet 11 inches tall, 48 pounds and has distinctly stained front teeth. He has blond hair and blue eyes.

The boy was last seen wearing a black John Cena WWE wrestling shirt, dark jeans, a belt, black Vans shoes, white socks and a black, zip-up hooded sweatshirt with white, black and blue stars over it.

Anybody with information on the case is encouraged to call Las Vegas police at 828-LOST (5678).

Review-Journal writers Brian Haynes and Antonio Planas contributed to this report. Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.