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In November 2000, Michelle Renee, a single mother and bank manager in Vista, California, experienced a 14-hour ordeal that would change her life and career. According to a CBS News report dated May 20, 2025, three masked intruders broke into her home, holding her, her 7-year-old daughter Breea, and a roommate hostage.
The attackers strapped dynamite to their bodies and forced Michelle to rob the bank where she worked, threatening to kill her and her daughter if she disobeyed. Renee returned with $360,000 in cash, and authorities later confirmed the explosives were fake.
As detailed in CBS 8’s December 19, 2024, coverage, the investigation led to the arrest of Christopher Butler, Lisa Ramirez, and two other accomplices. Renee helped authorities crack the case by recognizing Butler from a prior bank visit and identifying a business card he had left behind.
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Michelle Renee's story is the focus of the 48 Hours episode The Kidnapping of Michelle and Breea Renee, airing Saturday, May 24, 2025, at 10 pm ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
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Michelle Renee, her daughter Breea, and their roommate were strapped with fake dynamite and warned that it could be detonated within 10 miles if they disobeyed
On November 22, 2000, following a night of captivity, Michelle Renee, her daughter Breea, and a roommate were forced to take part in a bank robbery.
According to CBS News reports dated May 20, 2025, the captors claimed the devices strapped to their backs were real explosives, and that they could be detonated remotely within a 10-mile radius if Michelle deviated from the plan. The ordeal began the previous night when three masked men broke into their home in Vista, California, and threatened them at gunpoint.
According to a report by The Independent dated February 11, 2023, at the time, Renee worked as the Vista branch manager of the Bank of America. The intruders made it clear they had been surveilling her for weeks, demanding she withdraw money from her branch the next morning. Renee recalled the ringleader's orders and threats, as cited in the CBS report dated May 20, 2025.
"You're gonna rob the bank for us, or you will die, your daughter will go first," Michelle Renee recalled.
By 9 am, Renee walked out of her bank branch with $360,000 in a duffel bag and handed it to one of the assailants waiting in her Jeep. Uncertain about her daughter's safety, she immediately rushed home after handing over the money to find that Breea and the roommate were unharmed.
Law enforcement later determined the dynamite was fake, crafted from painted broomsticks and wires meant to resemble explosives, as detailed in CBS 8's report dated December 20, 2024.
Key suspects and the lead that cracked the case
Michelle Renee helped identify the lead assailant, Christopher Butler, after recognizing his eyes from a previous visit to her bank. She gave investigators a business card Butler had left behind during his earlier visit to the bank, where he pretended to be a customer.
As reported by CBS News on February 10, 2023, the card contained Butler's real name, leading the FBI to place him under surveillance. He and his fiancée, Lisa Ramirez, were arrested ten days later.
Evidence recovered included BB guns, ski masks, money straps, and Michelle Renee's personal items. Ramirez confessed to the plot and admitted her voice was the one Renee heard over a walkie-talkie the night of the kidnapping. However, she was ultimately acquitted after the judge ruled that her confession could not be admitted as evidence during the trial.
While the jury could not reach a verdict on the charge related to Michelle Renee's abduction, Butler was found guilty of kidnapping her daughter Breea and their roommate, as well as committing the robbery. Two other suspects, Christopher Huggins and Robert Ortiz, were also convicted, both later receiving parole.
The aftermath and long-term impact
Michelle Renee's testimony was scrutinized heavily during the trial. Defense attorneys attempted to discredit her, with one strategy described as "beat the hell out of the victim," according to Ramirez's attorney, Herb Weston, as quoted by CBS News on May 20, 2025.
"I was treated like I was the criminal," Michelle Renee later said.
In 2020, Butler recanted his claim that Renee was involved in the crime, confirming her innocence during a parole hearing. Since then, Renee has written Held Hostage and Nine Days, launched her media company, and become a trauma healing practitioner.
Breea, who was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, continues to share a close bond with her mother. Their story is at the center of The Kidnapping of Michelle and Breea Renee, airing on 48 Hours on May 24, 2025.
Stay tuned for more updates.
