Police: Three arrested in Napa kidnapping, attempted homicide

A gunshot victim showed up at a Napa hospital emergency room Wednesday and became a suspect in the kidnapping and attempted murder of a San Francisco man, who told police he escaped his bindings and wrestled his kidnapper for the gun, Napa County law enforcement officials said Friday.

The case, which grew on Friday with a report of a third suspect arrested, led authorities on Thursday to lock down a Napa elementary school amid a report of a gunshot in the neighborhood of the home where the kidnapped man was held. By that point, two of the three suspects were already in custody.

Investigators suspect Miguel Morales, 27, of Contra Costa County and Napa residents Gabriela Marron, 21, and Luis Angel Campos, 29, kidnapped the San Francisco resident, who was not identified, and held him at a home on Mary C Drive in an unincorporated pocket within Napa city limits, Napa County Sheriff’s Capt. Doug Pike said.

Pike said the kidnapping appeared to be an attempt to keep the San Francisco man from testifying in court against Marron in a case involving a domestic crime. The man was to appear in a Contra Costa County courtroom Wednesday, Pike said.

The kidnapping happened Wednesday in San Francisco, where the victim was picked up under false pretenses and taken to a Napa home on Mary C Drive and held against his will, Pike said.

The investigation began at about 5 p.m. Wednesday when Morales showed up at Queen of the Valley Medical Center with a gunshot wound shot in the shoulder, authorities said. He was uncooperative and refused to tell law enforcement officials how or where he was shot, Napa police said.

About seven hours later, Napa police received a phone call from a San Francisco police officer who said a man had contacted the department and reported he’d been kidnapped, taken to Napa, bound and held for 24 hours. He said he’d escaped after a struggle with one of his kidnappers and that during the struggle, the kidnapper had tried to shoot him, but that he’d gotten the gun and shot the kidnapper in self-defense, according to Pike and Napa police Lt. Debbie Peecook, who also released information about the case.

The victim then fled the house and called for a friend to drive him home to San Francisco, where he contacted police.

While the wounded Morales was at the hospital Wednesday, federal agents took him into custody on unrelated issues, Pike said. Napa officers subsequently arrested him in connection with the suspected kidnapping.

Thursday morning, Napa County’s Major Crimes Force investigators began surveillance of the Mary C Drive house and a home on Shelter Avenue, where officers arrested Marron as she drove away, Peecook said.

About the same time, officers heard what sounded like a loud gunshot on Mary C Drive, Peecook said, prompting law enforcement to request neighborhood residents and the nearby Pueblo Vista Elementary School to lock the doors and shelter in place for several hours.

Pike said they had intended to wait to search the property until after school hours, but the gunshot sound forced them to immediately investigate the property.

SWAT units entered the home and found no sign of a gunman or gunshot victim, officials said. The property was searched for evidence of the kidnapping and prior shooting that wounded Morales. Inside, officers found evidence that gave credence to the kidnapping story, Pike said.

Thursday night, officers tracked the third suspect, Campos, to a Vallejo apartment where he was arrested. Officers also found two semi-automatic .9mm handguns believed to have been used in the kidnapping, Pike said.

The three suspects remained in custody Friday morning. Campos and Marron were suspected of several felony crimes, including attempted murder, kidnapping for ransom, assault with a deadly weapon and dissuading a witness. Campos’ bail was set at $100,000. Marron’s bail amount wasn’t initially available.

Napa County Jail booking records list Morales’ name as Miguel Morales Santiago. He was being held on suspicion of attempted murder, jail records show. Pike said other charges were expected to be added to his case. Anyone with information about the kidnap and attempted murder investigation can call Napa County Sheriff’s Detective John Hallman at 253-4591.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem. You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @rossmannreport.