NBC 6’s Laura Rodriguez has the latest following an interview with the mother of the man accused of abducting, sexually assaulting and shooting a 12-year-old boy in Miami.
Maira Santiesteban, the mother of the man accused of abducting, sexually assaulting and shooting a 12-year-old boy in Miami, still cannot believe the alleged crimes her son committed.
"I still don't believe it," said Santiesteban. "It happened, but as his mother, I still don't believe it."
In an interview from Cuba, Santiesteban was fighting tears, trying to find an explanation for the events that transpired and asked for forgiveness from the young boy's family.
"As a mother, as a grandmother, I feel deeply sorry for what the young boy is going through, because it didn't need to happen."
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Officers arrested 43-year-old Aliex Santiesteban in early morning on March 27th and charged him with several counts, including sexual battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and attempted murder. He was booked into the Miami-Dade jail and was being held without bond, records showed.
Police say DNA evidence and "good old-fashioned police work" led them to Santiesteban.
In the interview, Santiesteban told NBC 6 she spoke with her son the day he was arrested and she did not notice anything strange.
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"Something big must have happened to him because... I still don't understand," she said. "I don't understand."
Miami-Dade Police continue to ask the community to take a close look at the suspect and urge anyone to contact them if they have been victimized by Aliex Santiesteban.
