Five illegal immigrants were arrested in Missouri on Monday morning for allegedly kidnapping a teenage girl from Indiana. The Missouri State Highway Patrol received a report at around 2 a.m. on June 17 that a 14-year-old girl was missing in Cass County, Indiana. The girl’s father saw her getting into a black Dodge Durango with an unknown license plate, which he reported to the Logansport Police Department.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office informed troopers that the girl’s cell phone was traced to the suspects’ vehicle with a Texas license plate as it traveled westbound on U.S. 36 near Hannibal, Missouri. A Missouri state trooper later spotted a matching SUV and pulled it over. The missing girl was found in the back of the vehicle, confirming her identity. Fortunately, there was no evidence of sexual assault.
The five men in the car were identified as Marlon Aguilar (44) from Honduras, Arturo Eustaquio (41) from Mexico, Noe Guzman Hernandez (24) from Mexico, Daniel Ruiz Lopez (19) from Mexico, and Carlos Funez (56) from Honduras. All of them were arrested and taken to the Macon County Jail. It was confirmed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol that these men were in the country illegally, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a detainer for them.
Currently, all five men are being held without bail on a felony kidnapping charge. The incident sheds light on the ongoing issue of illegal immigration and its consequences. Such cases highlight the importance of border security and immigration policies to prevent crimes committed by individuals who are not legally in the country. The safety and security of all individuals, especially minors, should be a top priority for law enforcement agencies and policymakers.