Federal Way Man Indicted On Charges Of Kidnapping Woman At Gunpoint
Saturday, November 30, 2024, 9:40 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
SEATTLE, WA.- On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, Daniel Lopez, 24, of Federal Way, Washington, appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of Washington and was arraigned on an indictment that was unsealed on November 6, 2024, charging him with allegedly kidnapping an Auburn, Washington, woman at gunpoint.
During Tuesday’s hearing and following the reading of the indictment, Lopez entered a not-guilty plea to the charges.
According to U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman, Lopez was taken into custody in Texas and has been in state custody on charges initially filed in King County Superior Court. Lopez has been accused of the October 13, 2024, kidnapping of a woman, who was abducted at gunpoint from her Auburn, Washington home and was later found safe in Guatemala.
Video Courtesy Of King 5 Seattle, Washington
The charging information unsealed in the indictment reports the woman’s husband reported her missing on October 14, 2024, after arriving home and finding her belongings at an apartment he shared with Lopez. Two witnesses reported seeing the woman leaving with two men, one carrying a firearm. One of the men was later identified as Lopez from an area video surveillance showing vehicles in the woman’s apartment complex’s parking lot.
Police Officers then reviewed traffic cameras and were able to identify the license plate from the vehicle and determined that Lopez was the registered owner of the vehicle.
Lopez was ultimately traced to Houston, Texas, where he was arrested on October 19, 2024, at a Houston hotel. The victim was identified by immigration authorities in Southern Mexico and was transported to Guatemala, where she has family members.
The investigation remains ongoing as law enforcement officials are working to determine if any other co-conspirators were involved in the kidnapping scheme. If convicted at trial, Lopez faces up to life in federal prison.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
