Three year old Brandon Aponte was returned to his parents after being kidnapped for 36 hours by 13 year old Tatiana Morales. Morales had taken Aponte from his father's Bronx tattoo shop on Saturday afternoon, setting off a hunt to find the pair. Two people called the police saying that Morales had been at a party in Flatbush, where she told the others that she was actually 21, her name was "Essence," and that she had twins named Jeremy and Jeremiah. Apparently Morales, who is described as a frequent runaway, didn't want to return Brandon after the a Saturday barbecue because it had been raining, and then she panicked after seeing the news and stayed her friend's house. When the police got to the house, they found Morales and Aponte.
Morales was charged with kidnapping as a juvenile delinquent, and there will be a hearing on Thursday. With Brandon back and seemingly unharmed, Aponte's family forgives her and hopes she will get counseling. Morales' aunt tells the Daily News that her niece had been kidnapped and assaulted last July, saying she "wasn't the same" afterwards.
