Photo: Kenner Police Department
An undocumented migrant described by authorities as "a ghost" admitted to kidnapping and raping a 13-year-old girl at knifepoint in Louisiana, the Kenner Police Department announced on its Facebook account (h/t the New York Post).
Diego Rodriguez-Salvador, 23, of Honduras, was charged with second-degree kidnapping and second-degree rape of a juvenile victim in relation to the incident. Rodriguez-Salvador lured the minor, who was identified as the sister of his friend, into his car before driving her to his Kenner, Louisiana, home and raped her on September 4.
The suspect reportedly asked the victim, who was his friend's sister, to ride with him to a nearby store, which she accepted before noticing Rodriguez-Salvador was driving in the wrong direction, at which point he pulled a knife, assaulted her and dropped her off in his own neighborhood before speeding away, the department confirmed.
Rodriguez-Salvador led officers on a brief manhunt after the incident was reported at around 7:45 p.m. local time. Police located the white 2013 Nissan Altima linked to the suspect and "phone contact was made" at which point he agreed to surrender.
Rodriguez-Salvador admitted to the allegations against him, the department confirmed to WDSU. Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley described the suspect as "a ghost" as there was very little information about him other than being a Honduras native and having illegally entered the U.S., though the time in which he crossed the border was unknown.
“Diego has undocumented status in the United States and detectives are working closely with Homeland Security Investigations to obtain any additional information that could assist in his identification or apprehension,” the Kenner Police Department said in its Facebook post.