Delaware County Daily Times - Aug 21, 1999 Article

No new leads on missing baby

Delaware County Daily Times (Primos - Upper Darby, PA) - Saturday, August 21, 1999

UPPER CHICHESTER -- The search for Katelyn Rivera-Helton continued yesterday, but with no new leads for police.

The 20-month-old girl has been missing since Aug. 10, when police say her father kidnapped her from a babysitter's house. Robert N. Rivera told investigators he gave the girl to a couple he met a Longwood Gardens.

Police say no one has been able to verify that story.

An extensive search of a river and nearby woods in Elkton, Md., -- near where Rivera visited friends the night of the kidnapping -- turned up nothing.

An FBI spokesman said yesterday authorities were following up on some old leads, but had nothing new to report in the search. Upper Chichester Police Chief William Robinson also said there had been no breaks in the case.

Rivera allegedly kidnapped his daughter just days after a protection from abuse order restricted him to only supervised visits with her. The protection order had been sought by Rivera's estranged girlfriend, Jennifer Helton, who is Katelyn's mother.

Rivera is in jail on $100,000 cash bail awaiting a hearing on kidnapping and assault charges. He waived a hearing and is awaiting trial on charges that he assaulted Helton July 30.