'She said she needed help': Mom says women threatened to harm baby before robbery
JUPITER, Fla — A mother of four said she is shocked and confused after two thieves took advantage of her generosity.
The Jupiter Police Department says the suspect identified as Yeimy Angelica Gomez Romero, 24, of Fort Lauderdale, used the victim’s eight-month-old boy as a way to rob her.
It was last December, just days before Christmas, when Micaela Andres-Hernandez, originally from Guatemala, said a woman, who appeared friendly, approached her outside her home and begged for help.
“She said she needed help and that she is an immigrant from Venezuela. She needed a cellphone to call someone,” Andres-Hernandez told CBS12 News in Spanish.
Moments later, another woman drove up in a red car.
Andres-Hernandez, who was holding her baby boy, got into the backseat, and offered to show them how to get to a local non-profit agency that helps immigrants.
“I believed them. they seemed sincere,” said the 33-year-old mother.
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The women stopped the car along the way, according to the mother. She then feared for her life as soon as she realized what was going on.
“That when they asked, is this baby yours? He’s so cute,” recounted Andres-Hernandez. She replied, yes.
They threatened to hurt him if she didn't give up her belongings, according to the mother.
“They grabbed him. I asked, ‘why are you doing this. You said you needed help. I’m helping you.’ I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.”
They stole her jewelry, purse and cell phone and then let her and the baby out of the car and sped off.
She told CBS12 News, she thinks the women are part of an organized criminal ring, targeting immigrant families. She shared her story to warn other families in her community.
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“Don’t trust anyone you don’t know. Don’t trust strangers. Their plan is to desperately ask for people’s help,” warned Andres-Hernandez.
It appears Jupiter Police are still looking for the woman who drove the car, described as a white female with blond or yellow hair, between 45 and 50 years old.