PARSONSBURG, Md. - An alleged kidnapping victim who disappeared in Wicomico County in March of last year has been found safe in Mississippi after police say the victim’s sister ran off with the child.
According to court records obtained by WBOC, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office was called to a home on Dagsboro Road in Parsonsburg on March 17, 2025 on reports of a missing person. There, a woman told police her two children were missing. The woman informed the deputies she had tried to call her older daughter, Laura Ignacio-Martinez, then 19, multiple times to no avail. Her younger child, who is under 16, had not shown up for school that morning, the mother reported.
Police say a ping of Laura’s cell phone was conducted but indicated the phone was off and was last located in North Carolina.
Two days later, the mother informed police that her cousin had been in contact with Laura. The 19-year-old had said she ran away with her sibling and a man, later identified as Celso Morales-Galvez, 29 at the time, according to court records. Laura reportedly also said she would not allow the child to come home until their mother allowed Laura to live with and have a relationship with Celso.
Police then learned Laura and the victim knew Celso through other family members and that he may live in Mississippi. Arrest warrants for both Laura and Celso were issued on March 24, 2025 but the case saw no movement until April of 2026.
On April 11, the Columbia, Mississippi Police Department announced it had conducted a traffic stop for a speeding violation. During the stop, police identified the driver as Celso Galvez-Morales and found that he was a fugitive from Maryland wanted on kidnapping charges. A 4-month-old child present during the stop was turned over to the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services.
Further investigation by Columbia Police revealed Galvez-Morales’ girlfriend was Laura Ignacio-Martinez, also wanted on kidnapping charges in Wicomico County, Md. Laura was located and arrested on April 12. Both Laura and Celso are being held pending extradition to Maryland.
On Sunday, the Columbia Police Department announced they had also safely located the child victim of the alleged kidnapping.