A Florida couple was arrested after traveling to Washington, disguising themselves as Amazon drivers, and stealing a 7-month-old child from a relative’s residence.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Phillips said in the charges against the Lake Worth Beach couple that were filed on Thursday that “this case is extraordinarily unusual,” according to the Seattle Times.
An affidavit obtained by the Seattle Times states that Marlly Ardila-Urrego, 33, informed the child’s mother, a relative, that she had bought a new bed for the child and that it would be brought to her Federal Way home in Washington State on February 20.
On the day of the purported delivery, Ardila-Urrego’s companion Chun Lai, 42, is said to have gone to the woman’s home disguised as an Amazon employee and bearing a clipboard and box.
As a lady later identified as Ardila-Urrego entered the apartment, Lai allegedly repeatedly hit the victim in the face, knocked her to the ground, and bound her wrists and ankles with zip ties when the victim opened the door.
After putting the infant in the Amazon box, Lai left the area.
The Times says that after taking off her ties and calling 911, the mother hurried outside with the 2-year-old to search for her child.
Ardila-Urrego’s insistence on learning the woman’s new address led the woman’s father to alert the FBI and police that he thought Ardila-Urrego was involved in the kidnapping. It is stated that their connection was not very close before this.
Lai and Ardila-Urrego were stopped by a Washington State Patrol trooper around 180 miles from the crime scene in Federal Way, according to the Seattle Times.
After it was reported that the youngster had been found inside the car, the trooper texted her police a picture of the girl to confirm who she was.
The Florida couple faces first-degree charges of kidnapping, robbery, assault, and burglary. They are currently being held on a $750,000 bail.
Furthermore, there was “no evidence that mental illness or substance abuse contributed to this crime,” per the court records.
