Diego and his sister Tammy went missing from Victorville, California, on October 23, 2007, after being abducted by their non-custodial father, Francisco Flores, who failed to return them after a scheduled visitation. A felony warrant for kidnapping was issued for him on January 18, 2008. At the time, Francisco was in the process of a divorce from the children’s mother, Griselda Gonzalez, with whom he shared joint custody. Gonzalez had daily contact with the children but described Francisco as unpredictable, with a volatile temper. When Gonzalez was unable to reach the children by phone on October 23, she went to Francisco’s house and found it vacant. Authorities were notified, and on October 31, Gonzalez was granted full custody of Tammy and Diego. Authorities discovered that Francisco had refinanced his home for $100,000 before the abduction, taking the funds with him. The house has since been foreclosed.