Federal Way man appears in court in case of found pregnant woman from Auburn
Nov 26, 2024, 1:35 AM | Updated: Nov 27, 2024, 9:21 am
Jackelin Perez, who was missing on Oct. 13 for approximately a week. (Photo courtesy of Auburn Police Department)
(Photo courtesy of Auburn Police Department)
A man, indicted for allegedly kidnapping a woman, appeared in court Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
Daniel Lopez, 24, was indicted by a grand jury on November 6 for allegedly kidnapping a pregnant woman from Auburn on October 13, stated U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.
Gorman said Lopez was arrested in Texas and has been in state custody on charges originally filed in King County Superior Court.
Background of Auburn kidnapping case
Jackelin Perez was kidnapped from her Auburn apartment on Oct. 13 and found alive in Mexico 10 days later before being sent back to her native country, Guatemala. But, according to court documents obtained by KIRO Newsradio, a second person was also taken in the violent Auburn kidnapping.
The second person taken, a 17-year-old identified as “E.G.,” is still missing, as of this reporting.
More on Jackelin Perez: Missing pregnant woman from Auburn found alive in Mexico
According to KIRO 7, Jackelin Perez’s husband, Anderson Jordan, told authorities that his wife was alone at their apartment on I Street Northeast in Auburn when a friend, “E.G.,” came by to drop off $2,000 he had allegedly borrowed. E.G. knew the couple through the husband’s construction work and Jordan had previously lent him money over the past few months.
When Jordan returned home from work, he found the front door was left open and that Jackelin was missing. A witness at the apartment complex noticed Jackelin left her apartment with two Latino men in a hurry, barefoot and only partially made up, according to KIRO 7.
One of the Latino men allegedly confronted the witness, brandishing a firearm and asking, “Who do you work for? What do you bang? Do you work for Gato?”
Detectives identified a black Honda made between 2017 and 2020 as the vehicle Perez and E.G. were taken in.
With the FBI’s involvement, authorities tracked the suspect to Houston, Texas and arrested him. According to Perez, she and the teen were taken from the apartment by gunpoint and were eventually brought to Tijuana. When Mexican officials found Perez, she was taken back to her native country of Guatemala.
More missing individuals: Marysville boy who went missing in 2021 found in Seattle; father arrested
According to Perez, E.G. was distressed and crying at times.
The Auburn Police Department, the FBI and the DEA continue to investigate the exact whereabouts of E.G., who remains missing, as of this reporting.
This story was originally published on November 13, 2024, at 8 a.m. It has been updated and republished since then.
Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest and KIRO 7
Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.
