Andrew Tafoya Pleads Guilty to 'Child-Stealing' in Chioma Gray Case

The unusual case of Chioma Gray is coming to an end. Her abductor, 24-year old Andrew Tafoya, pleaded guilty to felony child stealing charges. He will spend three years in prison. [SOURCE]

Chioma was a 15-year old high school student in Oxnard, CA when she was kidnapped by Tafoya on December 13, 2007. She lived with him as his wife for nearly four years in Mexico. Chioma is now 19 ... and she says that she is married to Tafoya.

The couple voluntarily returned to California last month.

FOUND: Chioma Gray is Home with Her Family

Mom Greets Chioma at Airport

Chioma Gray's family last saw her Dec. 13, 2007. This blog began following the case a few weeks later.

The former student at Buena High School in Ventura, then 15, was getting into a stolen car that day driven by Andrew Joshua Tafoya, then 20, who had been released from jail the night before, according to witnesses. Gray and Tafoya were captured on a screening camera at the Mexican border on Dec. 13, 2007. The camera also showed the license plate of a stolen car.

In 2010, Chuck Hookstra, a private investigator and former Oxnard assistant police chief hired by Gray's mother, Franciene Black, found the stolen car parked in a compound near Acapulco, Mexico. He also discovered the two had lived in a small vacation spot, where Tafoya taught snorkeling and Gray worked as a waitress.

Chioma Gray, now 19, and Tafoya, now 24, arrived today at Los Angeles International Airport from Mexico City under escort of US Marshals. [SOURCE]

"I can only imagine what my daughter has been through the last three years," Black was quoted as saying in a statement released by her attorney, Cristina Armenta. "We have all been through a lot and we are so blessed to have her back."

Gray's family believes she was kidnapped. The mother has sued Tafoya and his parents, alleging custodial interference and infliction of emotional distress.

Tafoya's attorney, Tim Quinn, said the girl left willingly and the relationship was consensual. She still wants to be with him, Quinn said.

Tafoya is charged with violating probation stemming from his previous sentence and child-stealing.

Lakeesha Alert: Chioma Gray Spotted in Mexico

Chioma Gray has been missing for over three years. Federal authorities have told her family that a woman's body found charred beyond recognition in Tijuana was Chioma.


The family doesn't believe that Chioma is dead. In fact, they think that she may be alive and living in Mexico. The family believes that the man who abducted Chioma may be getting help from his parents. [SOURCE]

Villagers recall that Chioma was last seen being hustled into a stolen car in December 2007. According to witnesses, the car was driven by Andrew Joshua Tafoya, 20, who had been released from jail the night before. Tafoya, a former football player at St. Bonaventure High School and Ventura College, had just finished serving a seven-month sentence for having unlawful sex with a minor, Chioma, who was 14 at the time.

The last trace of the two was caught on a screening camera at the Mexican border, which showed the license plate of the stolen car.

Private investigator Chuck Hookstra, a former Oxnard assistant police chief, says that he found the stolen car parked in a compound with flat tires near Acapulco, a resort city in southern Mexico.

“It looked like it’d been there for three years,” said Hookstra.

He also found where the two lived. They apparently worked at a small vacation spot — he taught snorkeling, and she was a waitress. Hookstra said he talked to neighbors and uncovered information that Tafoya received help from his family.

This week, Chioma’s mother filed a federal lawsuit against Tafoya, his father and other members of his family. Hookstra found leads that suggest Chioma and Tafoya are either still in Mexico near the town of Ixtapa or perhaps in Nevada or Texas. Hookstra said there are also indications they stayed in San Antonio, with a relative of Tafoya.

“None of the family members were forthcoming with any information,” Hookstra said in a sworn declaration. “Based on my 30-year career of law enforcement and investigation, I believe that the family members of (Tafoya) do in fact, know where (he) is and have been providing him money to assist him in concealing Chioma Gray from authorities.”

This was one of the first cases of a missing young Black child that we tracked on this blog. I hope it has a happy ending. If Chioma is alive ... and voluntarily staying with Tafoya ... I hope she lets contacts her Mom.

As for Tafoya? I hope he burns in hell.

Missing: Chioma Gray ~ $5,000 Reward

A private organization, the Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation, is offering a $5,000 reward for the safe return of Chioma Gray, an Oxnard teen missing since December.

Police and the FBI say Andrew Joshua Tafoya disappeared with 15-year-old Chioma Gray to Mexico seven months after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with her. Tafoya was named in a federal criminal complaint for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution after being charged in December with child stealing, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and car theft, according to the FBI. A $5,000 reward also will be paid for information leading to Tafoya's arrest and conviction.

Gray's family and friends have not heard from her since she disappeared. Authorities ask anyone with information on the case to contact the FBI at (310) 477-6565 or Ventura police at (805) 339-4400. [SOURCE]