A man has been accused of kidnapping a pregnant woman at gunpoint from her Washington home before leaving her stranded thousands of miles away in Mexico.
Daniel Lopez, 24, faces charges of first-degree kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to charging documents first seen by Komo News.
The Auburn Police Department (APD) said Lopez was located following a joint investigation between the FBI and local authorities in connection with the disappearance of 21-year-old Auburn resident Jackelin Perez.
He was arrested more than 2,300 miles away from Auburn in Houston, Texas, after authorities tracked down his license plate, the APD said. Lopez was said to have been extradited to Washington before he was charged, as per the local TV station.
Perez had emigrated to Washington with her husband from Guatemala months prior to when she went missing last month, according to authorities.
Police said that the victim, who was six-weeks pregnant, was “taken from her home under duress” in an “extraordinarily violent kidnapping” between 6pm and 7pm on October 13 from her home in the north-east of the city.
Perez’s husband arrived home approximately 20 minutes after she was abducted by at least two men – including Lopez – before reporting her disappearance on the morning of October 14, according to charging documents.
The kidnappers brought the victim to Mexico before subsequently releasing her, police said.
It is not currently clear why the kidnappers decided to take her to Mexico. Police speculated that Perez was “caught up in” illegal activity which she was not directly involved in.
Search efforts were also made in Guatemala and Mexico before she was tracked down.
“Jackelin Perez has been located and is alive. She was found in Mexico earlier this week by Mexican authorities,” APD said in a statement on October 23. “After speaking with Perez, she confirmed that she was, in fact, kidnapped at gunpoint.”
Kolby Crossley, a public information officer for the APD, told WSAZ3: “It was shocking.”
“It was a surprise to all of us and really just thrilled,” he added of Perez being located.
“A job well done by our detectives, who have been working around the clock to find Jackelin. We also want to thank the FBI and the other agencies that assisted in this case,” the APD added in its statement.
The Independent has contacted the APD for more information.
