A fugitive wanted for parental kidnapping for more than 20 years by the FBI and the Lorena Police Department was arrested on Friday, June 12, 2015, in Medina, New York, announced Christopher Combs, Special Agent in Charge of San Antonio FBI, and Tom Dickson, Chief, Lorena Police Department, Lorena, Texas.

Daniel Lee Kestel, age 58, was wanted for allegedly kidnapping his 13-month-old son. According to charging documents, on June 21, 1992, Kestel took his son for a scheduled visit and was to return the child to his mother, the primary guardian, at 7:00 p.m. that evening. Kestel, however, failed to return the child as scheduled.

On June 23, 1992, following an investigation by the Lorena Police Department, the Municipal Court, Lorena, McLennan County, Texas, issued a state arrest warrant for Kestel charging him with interference with child custody. Since the investigation revealed Kestel may have fled the state of Texas, the matter was referred to the San Antonio FBI, Waco Resident Agency Office, to pursue federal charges. On July 22, 1992, the United States District Court, Western District of Texas, Waco, Texas, issued a federal arrest warrant for Kestel charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

For more than 20 years, the FBI and Lorena Police Department, working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and law enforcement agencies throughout the nation, conducted proactive investigation and followed up on numerous leads and tips regarding Kestel’s whereabouts.

Kestel will be arraigned and afforded an extradition hearing this week in Orleans County Court in Albion, New York.

Additional information regarding the FBI’s role in investigating family child abductions can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/cac/family-abductions.