An American abducted in Mexico and held by captors for eight months was released Friday night and is safe, FBI officials said Saturday.
Monica De Leon Barba, from San Mateo County, California, just south of San Francisco, was abducted while walking home from work with her dog in Tepatitlán, Mexico, on Nov. 29, the bureau said Saturday.
Though it wan't clear what precipitated the release, work for her freedom was a constant goal during De Leon Barba's ordeal, the bureau said.
"For the past eight months, FBI personnel in California and Mexico have worked tirelessly with the family and with partners here and in Mexico," Robert Tripp, FBI special agent in charge of the San Francisco office, said in a statement. "Our relief and joy at the safe return of Monica is profound."
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
No information on her abductors was available, and the FBI has not mentioned drug cartels when communicating about the case. Cartels have been connected to the rise of kidnapping as a criminal enterprise in Mexico.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.
