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Oct. 17, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Las Vegas police announce search for grandfather of kidnapped 6-year-old boy

By LAWRENCE MOWER
REVIEW-JOURNAL
More Info

Video

Las Vegas police missing adult release for Clemens Tinnemeyer

Las Vegas police person of interest release for Clemens Tinnemeyer

Las Vegas police release for Cole Puffinburger



Las Vegas police Capt. Vincent Cannito shows a picture of Clemens F. Tinnemeyer, maternal grandfather of 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger, during a news conference outside Metro's Investigative Services Division building today. Police said they are searching for Tinnemeyer, whom they described as a significant person of interest.
Photo by K.M. Cannon



Clemens F. Tinnemeyer



Clemens F. Tinnemeyer was last seen driving this 2004 Dodge extended-cab pickup with Mississippi license plates KA6251.



Cole Puffinburger

Millions of dollars stolen from a Mexican drug cartel by 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger's grandfather may have been the catalyst for the Wednesday morning home invasion that led to the boy's kidnapping, according to sources and authorities.

The three men believed to be Mexican nationals who stormed Cole's east valley home were looking for money Clemens Fred Tinnemeyer had stolen through drug trafficking, primarily in methamphetamine, according to Las Vegas police.


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    • When the men couldn't find the money, they took Cole, Capt. Vincent Cannito said Friday.

    "They wanted to send a very clear message," Cannito said. "Message sent, message received. They got the attention of an entire nation."

    Tinnemeyer hasn't been seen in Las Vegas since May 21, and sources said the 51-year-old man is in hiding. Sources have also said he was an alleged money launderer for the cartel and owes them between $8 million and $20 million.

    Cannito would only say that the amount of money was in the "millions."

    Police have added Tinnemeyer and his white, four-door 2004 Dodge Ram pickup to the Amber Alert network that has been sent out to multiple states. Numerous federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are also investigating the case.

    "Tinnemeyer has stolen a large sum of money, all proceeds of illegal drug activity," Cannito said. "There are millions of dollars involved in major drug trafficking that this individual was a part of."

    Police are also looking into potential involvement in illegal narcotics activity by other family members.

    "It would be no understatement that other members of the family are involved as well," Cannito said.

    The involvement of a Mexican drug cartel in the kidnapping, sources have said, raises questions about the well-being of the boy. Cannito wouldn't comment on whether a cartel was involved, but didn't understate the severity of the situation.

    "These are extremely dangerous people," Cannito said. "We said it yesterday, we'll say it again: This is as bad as it gets."

    Violence involving cartels have risen in Mexico in recent months to include women and children, according to media reports, and reports of torture and beheadings have become almost commonplace.

    "The pressure (from authorities) that's being put upon drug cartels in Mexico, and specific individuals vying for the control of the Mexican cartels, has caused an escalation in violence," DEA spokeswoman Sarah Pullen said from the agency's office in Los Angeles.

    "It's violent. It's horrific," she said. "And if you look at what's happened with many of the beheadings that have happened down there, the killings that are done, are definitely to send a message, to terrorize and impact the community."

    Tinnemeyer, who is Cole's maternal grandfather, does have a criminal history in Las Vegas, Cannito said, although police wouldn't release details of that history. Evidence of a criminal past doesn't appear in court records.

    Records show he filed for bankruptcy in 2001, claiming nearly $330,000 in debts including more than $110,000 in credit card debt.

    He last spoke with his family on Aug. 22 and hasn't been heard from since, according to a missing persons report filed by his wife on Sept. 11.

    According to the report, Tinnemeyer is an RV driver and leaves home two to three weeks at a time. He is possibly carrying a .38 caliber handgun.

    His last known address is the home he owns near Nellis Boulevard and Bonanza Road, not far from Cole's home near Lake Mead and Hollywood boulevards.

    The home is just down the street from Stanford Elementary School, where Cole is a first grader.

    People at Tinnemeyer's home declined to comment Thursday night.

    Cole's next-door neighbor, Kay J. Bates, said Wednesday that the youngster would often stay with his grandparents.

    Cole's disappearance has exploded into a national story, and the boy's school picture has been shown CNN and Fox News. CNN Headline News host Nancy Grace highlighted the case on her show Thursday night.

    Cannito said he has detectives working 12-hour shifts and that the investigation is going around the clock.

    "This agency has pulled no resources," he said. "If anything, we've added resources."

    Investigators have several persons of interest, including Tinnemeyer. Cannito declined to elaborate but said the case is "very promising."

    However, authorities still have no description of the suspects' vehicle and only a vague description of one of the three suspects.

    That suspect is described as having black, shoulder-length, slicked-back hair. He is in his early 30s, 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

    Tinnemeyer is described as white, 5 feet 10 inches, 200 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. He has a 4-inch scar on his right knee and a 3-inch scar on his left shoulder.

    His Dodge Ram has Mississippi license plate number KA6251.

    Cole is 3 feet 11 inches tall, 48 pounds and has distinctly stained front teeth. He has blond hair and blue eyes.

    The boy was last seen wearing a black John Cena WWE wrestling shirt, dark jeans, a belt, black Vans shoes, white socks and a black, zip-up hooded sweat shirt with white, black and blue stars over it.

    Anybody with information on the case is encouraged to call Las Vegas police at 828-LOST (5678).

    Review-Journal writers Brian Haynes and Antonio Planas contributed to this report.

    Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.

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    Only in Vegas wrote on October 18, 2008 05:47 AM: You Intelligent people that fail to see the big picture need to pork each another. This isn’t Harmony.com

    mark wrote on October 18, 2008 12:31 AM: Intelligent people recognize that this is about drug dealing, and has nothing to do with mexicans. Can you recognize this? if you can't, you're an idiot. Also, this has nothing to do with republicans and democrats.

    Reality Chic wrote on October 18, 2008 02:50 AM: Mark is right. Despite the racist mantra of the intellectually challenged and the juiced up Joes, we can promote change through civic responsibility, compassion, and community.


    Reality Chic wrote on October 18, 2008 02:50 AM: After we finish sealing up all the borders, we better get busy working on that plastic dome. You know, the one we're going to need to cover our airspace. After all, why should the Mexican drug cartel be the main profiteers of America's drug pandemic?

    According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, "A study focusing on findings from the 2002 through 2004 National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that...9.4 million of full-time workers were illicit drug users and 57.5% of illicit drug users..were employed full-time."

    So much for Herb & Kimmy's theories. The fact is: like any supply business, a drug cartel's supply would be worthless without demand for it. But as usual, we prefer to blame our poor choices and narcissistic tendencies on our government, politicians, neighboring countrymen, and even the devil before considering our own culpability.

    On Wallstreet, Main Street, and dirt streets in rich and poor countries alike, people are emotionally, financially, and morally bankrupt and are looking for the fastest path to empowerment or escape. For millions, the answer is drugs.

    Cole Puffinburger is an innocent victim of the drug trade. His horrific story is unique because he has been made a public example. However, thousands more of American children and their families are silently suffering at the hands of American drug users, both occasional users and addicts. After all, it's their money that drives the business. Some just contribute more than others.

    Mark is right. Despite the racist mantra of the intellectually challenged and the juiced up Joes, we can promote change through civic responsibility, compassion, and community.


    Not only in Vegas wrote on October 18, 2008 02:12 AM: Latino workers hit hard as financial crisis slams construction industry
    By Hiram Soto
    UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
    October 17, 2008

    It's 10 a.m. on a Monday, and the week has already started off poorly for Gerardo Terríquez.
    Desperate for work, he had stood since 5 a.m. outside the office of a construction company, along with 50 other unemployed men, hoping to find work, even if just for a day. And once again, he could find no work.
    “We're not making it,” said Terríquez, 43, an immigrant who already had to borrow money to pay the $1,400 rent of the apartment he shares with his wife and five children.
    Continued …
    Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20081017-9999-1b17workers.html


    Sam51 wrote on October 18, 2008 01:16 AM: Food for thought: People in the USA that buy drugs, be it weed or coke or whatever, that is imported by drug gangs, contribute to incidents like this one everyday. Most turn out bad.


    mark wrote on October 18, 2008 12:31 AM: Intelligent people recognize that this is about drug dealing, and has nothing to do with mexicans. Can you recognize this? if you can't, you're an idiot.

    Also, this has nothing to do with republicans and democrats.


    TimeRanger wrote on October 17, 2008 10:42 PM: Every south American who crosses the border illegally is a CRIMINAL ~workerbee

    Hey workerbee - NEWSFLASH....It dosen't matter WHERE a person is from, if they cross the border illegally, they are a Criminal.


    workerbee wrote on October 17, 2008 09:34 PM: Every south American who crosses the border illegally is a CRIMINAL.This is the price you pay in a sanctuary city read the news and hide your dogs, daughter and sons. Educated yourself and you will want everyone of these parasites gone.
    Our border patrol nned to have orders to shot on site, we are being invaded.


    Vanny wrote on October 17, 2008 08:54 PM: It's really sad to know that the grandfather participated with the Mexican Cartel knowing that he could put his family at risk. Now that something went wrong, he went into a hide-out knowing the what could happend. Now his grandson is at risk. I'm praying to the lord for the Mexican Cartel to have compasion and return him back to his family. Im Mexican myself & this really breaks my heart into what they're doing. I hope one bad apple doesn't ruin the other good apples. My prayers go to the family.


    dolphinskry2 wrote on October 17, 2008 08:28 PM: I have been praying for Cole and not for the perpetrators. I now submit a prayer to all who are involved in this taking of the innocent. Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for calling me to be a fellow workman – a joint promoter and a laborer together – with You. I commit to pray for those saved to never stop believing in You, and pray for Your loving kindness to seek the hearts of those who are unsaved and change their minds to the mind of your Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, if they do not repent and ask for Your forgiveness Your Word Lord, says they will receive judgment and hell for eternity. You have forgiven me of all my sins and are willing to forgive all, who believe in You and call on the name of Your Precious Son Jesus Christ. By prayer and petition with thanksgiving continue in my heart,I ask You to change the hearts of Cole Puffinburger’s enemies, for them to come forward and return Cole to safety. I, pray when Cole is returned you intercede and place him in a home that has the love for Your Word to teach Cole about You and Your Highest Sovereignty. May Satan the real enemy not confuse others into hate that destroys the hearts of men and loose focus of You Lord, which is love beyond understanding. As a loving Father, who disciplines there children for their own good You are Truth, Justice, Righteousness, and Perfection. Whatever I ask for in prayer, I believe that it is granted to me, and I will receive it. May this prayer produce much fruit and bring great glory to my Father- the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.


    Bob wrote on October 17, 2008 08:14 PM: What a great way to wrap up "Hispanic Heritage Month".

    I'm sick to my stomach.

    When are people going to wake the heck up?

    Seal the darn border now!


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