Undocumented Immigrant Arrested For Kidnapping, Sexually Assaulting 11-year-old In Florida

Marvin Dionel Perez Lopez. Credit: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida - An undocumented immigrant who left Guatemala in early January, crossed through Mexico, turned himself into Border Patrol, and was released, eventually made his way to Florida where he allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl in a van in Lake Worth, Florida.

According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrest affidavit, 20-year-old Marvin Dionel Perez Lopez grabbed the 11-year-old by the hand and said, “get into the van”.

The girl tried to resist Lopez's sexual advances and tried to leave the commercial roofing van, but was pulled back into the van where he allegedly assaulted her.

At first, the girl's mother thought daughter was home, but when she realized her daughter was not, she began looking for her outside of their residence.

That's when the mother saw her daughter inside the van parked on the street. The mother started banging on the van and Lopez ran out of the van, leaving the girl inside.

After taking her daughter home, the mother went to Lopez's residence, his brother answered, and the brother called Lopez to come home.

When Lopez arrived at his residence, the mother confronted him, and he asked her for forgiveness. She could not forgive him and was going to call the police. 

After the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office conducted a forensic investigation and interviews with the girl and her mother, deputies then went to Lopez's residence to interview him. But Lopez fled out a back window and into an alley. 

After giving chase, the deputies were unable to locate Lopez.

When deputies interviewed other occupants of Lopez's residence, they said that the "knew Marvin ran because of what happened yesterday." 

Lopez was eventually located and taken into custody under the charges of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor under 13 years of age.

Lopez is being held at the Palm Beach County jail under a "No Bond" status.