FON DU LAC COUNTY, Wis. (WLUK) — Two people are in custody, including the victim's mother, after a young girl allegedly escaped a child trafficking situation in Wisconsin.
Shortly before 12:15 a.m. Sunday, deputies from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a residence in the town of Oakfield for a sexual assault complaint.
Authorities say the caller reported a 12-year-old girl had shown up at his door asking for help. She said she had just fled from a vehicle in the area "where an adult male had bound and blindfolded her and was attempting to assault her."
"Bravely, she was able to fight back, break free from the suspect and vehicle, and ran to the house for help," a news release states.
Detectives were called in to assist in the investigation. Officials were able to determine the identity and location of the suspect and a plan to arrest him was developed.
Numerous agencies executed a search warrant Monday evening at a home on Marquette Street in the city of Fond du Lac. At this time, the suspect was taken into custody without incident.
The suspect is a Nicaraguan man believed to be 30 or 31 years old. Because he has several aliases, his legal identity has yet to be confirmed. Officials say the man:
... entered the United States illegally from Mexico into Texas in October of 2021. At that time he was apprehended by US Customs and Border Protection agents, processed at a federal facility, and released from their custody with instructions to follow per current federal immigration policy.According to authorities, it is believed that "the suspect paid the victim’s mother, who he knew, in exchange for spending time alone with the victim."
Detectives are still working to determine the immigration status of the victim's mother. She was also arrested "for numerous crimes related to this incident."
Both are being held at the Fond du Lac County Jail. Officials say the investigation may yield further arrests.
The victim and her siblings have all been taken into protective custody by Fond du Lac County Human Services.
This investigation is complex and involves numerous serious potential crimes including sexual assault of a child, false imprisonment, child human trafficking, failure to protect a child, and others.Further details of this case won't be released until the suspects are criminally charged, authorities said.
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