Jackelin Perez, a missing Auburn woman, has been located and is alive.
She was found in Mexico earlier this week by Mexican authorities, according to an Oct. 23 Auburn Police Facebook post. The Mexican government is now communicating with the Guatemalan government and is working to get her back home to Guatemala.
After speaking with Perez, she confirmed that she was, in fact, kidnapped at gunpoint, according to Auburn Police.
“We believe the kidnapping was related to illegal activity in which she was not involved,” according to a police statement. “The kidnappers brought her to Mexico and subsequently released her. We are currently investigating the reasons for her release in Mexico.
“A job well done by our detectives, who have been working around the clock to find Jackelin. We also want to thank the FBI and the other agencies that assisted in this case.”
Auburn Police asked for the public’s assistance to find Perez, 21. She disappeared Oct. 13.
According to the department, with assistance from the FBI and agencies, law enforcement arrested a 24-year-old individual on Oct. 19 in Texas in connection to the disappearance of Perez.
Perez, six weeks pregnant, was a recent immigrant from Guatemala with her husband. Detectives in the case believe Perez to have been taken from her home under duress in a targeted incident.
“We also believe there are more individuals involved and are actively trying to locate them,” according to a news release from the department.
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