Police say a 13-year-old girl pulled out her own hair to leave her DNA evidence at the home of a 19-year-old man who allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Angel Lopez, 19, is accused of luring the girl through conversations on TikTok over four days, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement on March 27. Lopez then paid for her Uber ride from Westmoreland County, Pa., to Philadelphia, where he allegedly assaulted her in his home after offering her drugs.
Lopez appeared in court on Thursday, April 10 for a preliminary hearing following his arrest, reports WTAE.
Lopez was charged with “kidnapping a minor, trafficking, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16, unlawful contact of a minor, interference with child custody, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault of a child, sexual abuse of a child, corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility.”
The girl told police that he said, “They won’t be able to find you anyway,” per the criminal complaint, according to WTAE. After the victim was assaulted, the defendant allegedly told her to show “to wash his DNA off her,” the D.A.’s office said.
According to the criminal complaint, the girl told police she left strands of her hair around Lopez’s bedroom so her DNA could be found, reports WTAE.
“He had mentioned to her that nobody would ever find her,” Det. Sgt. Justin Scalzo of the Greensburg, Pa. police department said in a press conference on March 27, per WTAE. “And that was concerning. And that actually prompted the victim in this case to pull out strands of her hair and try to leave them around the apartment, saying that later that if nobody found her, maybe they could at least find her DNA.”
Scalzo elaborated that Lopez allegedly “did not want her to take any electronic devices with her to Philly. And then one text message stated, ‘I want you to leave no trace behind.’”
Lopez exchanged 1,862 printed pages of messages with the girl during the four-day period. The victim later told police that their relationship turned sexual via explicit messages prior to the assault, and she expressed apprehension about going to Philadelphia. When she shared her doubts with Lopez, he allegedly threatened to kill himself if she did not go to see him, KDKA News reports, citing the criminal complaint.
Per the D.A., the victim was reported missing by her family on March 14. Police were able to ping her phone to a location near Lopez’s apartment.
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Lopez remains in custody at Westmoreland County Prison. His next court date is May 14.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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