AMERICAN FORK, Utah — Police have arrested a Lindon man on suspicion of child kidnapping and other charges after he was accused of kidnapping a 1-year-old girl from her bedroom in American Fork.
American Fork officers responded to the victim's home at about 6:42 a.m. Tuesday. The girl's mother told officers someone entered the home through the back door, went into the girl's bedroom and left with the girl.
"The [mother] reported she heard a vehicle drive off and could hear her daughter crying," a probable cause statement says.
The mother told police that 25-year-old Aaron Castro had recently been stalking her. American Fork Police requested the assistance of Lindon Police, and, soon afterward, Lindon Police received a 9-1-1 call from a family member of Castro's.
The 9-1-1 caller reported Castro and a baby were outside their Lindon home. Officers responded to the home, where they detained Castro. The baby girl was sent to a hospital for evaluation. She has since been released to her parents and is reported to be doing well.
Police took Castro to the American Fork Police Department for an interview. According to the probable cause statement, Castro told investigators he had been at the Pleasant Grove Recreation Center for weight training at the time of the kidnapping and returned home to find the baby in the driveway.
Pleasant Grove officers reviewed surveillance footage from the rec center, but found no sign of Castro.
"Video surveillance obtained by detectives placed Castro’s vehicle in the area of the initial scene at the time of the incident and also showed Castro leaving the area of his residence prior to the incident and returning after the incident had taken place," the statement says.
According to police, the baby had been wearing only a pajama onesie and the temperature outside was in the 30s when she was abducted. Police also noted a lack of any car seats or child restraint devices in Castro's car.
Castro faces a first-degree felony charge of child kidnapping, a second-degree felony charge of burglary of a residence and a class A misdemeanor charge of child abuse.
