• Marlly Jarina Ardila-Urrego and Chun Ho Vincent Lai are charged with kidnapping and burglary, among other charges • Authorities say they traveled from Florida to Washington state to carry out the kidnapping • The boy’s grandfather reportedly told police a family member mentioned plans to sell baby for $70,000 A Florida couple has been arrested and charged after they allegedly traveled to Washington state and kidnapped a relative’s 7-month-old baby, according to authorities.
Marlly Jarina Ardila-Urrego and Chun Ho Vincent Lai have been charged with kidnapping, burglary and robbery in connection with an alleged incident on February 20 in Federal Way, Washington. The Seattle TimesFOX 13 Seattle and KING 5 report.
They were also charged with assault, according to FOX 13 Seattle and KING 5 .
Prosecutors say Ardila-Urrego, 33, and Lai, 42, allegedly targeted the family simply because they have a child, The Seattle Times reports.
In the days leading up to the incident, Ardila-Urrego allegedly repeatedly asked her cousin, the child’s mother, what her address was, according to charging documents.The Seattle TimesFOX 13 Seattle and KING 5.
Ardila-Urrego allegedly told the woman that she had ordered a bed frame for the woman’s child and that it would be delivered to her on February 20, the documents said, according to the newspaper.
When that day finally came, the victim says someone knocked on the door shortly after her husband left for work, according to charging documents, according to media reports.
She reportedly told authorities she looked through the peephole and saw what looked like a delivery boy with an Amazon box.
As soon as she opened the door, the alleged driver — who prosecutors say is actually Lai — allegedly began punching her in the face, then threw her to the ground and bound her wrists and ankles, according to court documents, FOX 13 Seattle and The Seattle Times report.
A woman she did not know then entered the apartment, the victim said, and allegedly held her while the man placed the child in an Amazon box and left the apartment, according to probable cause documents cited by KING 5.
One of the suspects allegedly hinted that he would harm the woman’s two-year-old child if she did not comply, according to the documents, according to the media site.
After the suspects left, the woman was able to free herself from the restraints and call 911, charging documents state, according to The Seattle Times and FOX 13 Seattle.
A couple who allegedly posed as an Amazon driver who kidnapped a relative’s child escaped with the child in an Amazon box
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The victim’s father reportedly told authorities he suspected Ardila-Urrego was behind the incident, according to FOX 13 Seattle and KING 5 .
He claimed that it was unusual for her to ask for the victim’s address because they were not close, according to the media.
He also claimed he was aware of a plan Ardila-Urrego made to sell the baby for $70,000, FOX 13 Seattle reported.
Once police were notified, they were able to use cellphone information to locate the couple’s vehicle and track them down, according to KING 5 and FOX 13 Seattle.
They were able to rescue the baby, who was unharmed, less than four hours after the alleged abduction, prosecutors said, according to The Seattle Times.
Bail was set at $750,000 for each of the suspects, according to the offices. It is not clear if they have hired a lawyer; they should be brought to court in March.
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