Kidnap rap vs ex-call center agent provisionally dismissed

A former call center agent accused of abducting an infant in one of the hospitals in Cebu City has been ordered released from detention after her case was provisionally dismissed.

Melissa Londres, 26, was facing kidnapping raps before Regional Trial Court Branch 6 after she allegedly abducted a two-day-old baby from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center last Jan. 4.

Acting upon the motion of Londres’ counsel and without objection from the public prosecutor, presiding Judge Ester Veloso of RTC Branch 6 ordered Londres to be released from detention and the case against her provisionally dismissed after the arresting officers and the offended parties, couple Jonathan and Jayvee Celadenia, failed to attend the initial hearing again.

The provisional dismissal of a case means it can be revived anytime within one or two years once the offended party will decide to pursue the case. If the case is not revived within this period, the dismissal will become final.

The charge stemmed from a complaint for kidnapping and serious illegal detention that was filed against Londres and her live-in partner, Philip Winfred Almeria, before the Office of the City Prosecutor.

The alleged kidnapping incident occurred while the Celadenia couple was seeing to their newborn son at the Child Survival Center in VSMMC. Although not connected with VSMMC, Londres was dressed in a nurse uniform when she allegedly approached and told the Celadenia couple to take their son to the laboratory room for an anti-dengue vaccination.

In Jayvee’s affidavit, she recounted that while her husband Jonathan left to process their PhilHealth, she accompanied Londres as the latter brought her baby to the laboratory. She was then told to wait outside due to hospital policy. She was surprised to notice a few minutes later that Londres was walking towards the exit door of the hospital while carrying her baby. Jayvee tried to follow Londres but was stopped by the security guard. She returned to her ward and told her husband what happened.

The Celadenia couple reported the incident to the hospital management. VSMMC Chief Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr. ordered the closed-circuit television (CCTV) operator to review the video footage, where it was discovered that the woman carrying the Celadenia couple’s baby was not their staff. The couple thereafter reported the incident to the police.

Meanwhile, Londres’ live-in partner Almeria insisted that he was innocent of the kidnapping charge and that the baby that Londres brought to their home was a victim of abduction.

He was allegedly made to believe that the baby was his son and that Londres gave birth inside a taxi cab.

Londres supposedly got pregnant but suffered a miscarriage.

In January 5, both Londres and Almeria were apprehended and the infant was recovered at their rented house in Sitio Fatima, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City. Londres later admitted that she stole the baby to make her boyfriend stay with her.

On January 19, the Celadenia couple filed an affidavit of desistance, which signified that they expressed their “unconditional forgiveness” towards Londres.