MIAMI (WSVN) — Police have arrested two suspects accused of abducting and sexually assaulting a young girl with disabilities last month.
On June 6, an 11-year-old girl with special needs was walking home from Allapattah Middle School when she was allegedly approached by a couple inside a van. The 11-year-old girl, who is developmentally delayed, told police a man and a woman drove her to an abandoned home where the man sexually assaulted her.
Miami Police have been working day and night since early June to find and charge the suspects in the abduction and sexual assault of the little girl. Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa said, "On Tuesday, July 30, both Nicole Jimenez and Juan Jose Jimenez were located and arrested in New Orleans, Louisiana."
According to police, the girl was taken from the street and brought to an abandoned house where she was sexually assaulted.
Police had originally questioned the married couple after receiving a tip in Miami. The suspects then fled to New Orleans where officials were able to track them down and arrest them.
The victim's mother, whose identity is being kept anonymous for the protection of the victim, said she is relieved to know there were arrests in this case. "I heard about their arrest and what initially went through my mind is my daughter's feelings. That she knows that these people are going to be locked up and put in jail," said the girl's mother.
The mother noted that even with these arrests, the road to recovery for her daughter remains a long one. "It's going to take a long time for her to recover," she said. "She has a lot of steps ahead of her, a lot of things she has to do, a lot of flashbacks, a lot of recollections. It's going to take a minute, but I know that she will get there eventually."
Regina Davis is a family friend who helped in the search for the girl when she first went missing. "School's gonna start, and we had so many things to worry about," she said, "so I was humbled and grateful that God allowed us to catch these people that did this to her."
Investigators are now trying to determine if there are more victims. "There might be parents that might see these individuals and say, wait a minute, they came around my kids, let me find out, let me call. As you can see, the sketches are pretty close to the actual photographs of the two individuals," said Orosa.
Police are also trying to determine the exact address of the abandoned home where the 11-year-old was allegedly assaulted. "We ask anyone for the location of the blue and white house where the little girl apparently was sexually assaulted, to come forward and tell us the location of the house. We have not been able to locate the house," said Orosa.
The house is described as a blue and white abandoned home believed to be near the area of Northwest 50th Street and 15th Avenue.
The suspects are scheduled to return to Miami in the next couple of days where they will face serious charges.
If you have any information on this abandoned house or these suspects, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
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