Auburn man charged with kidnapping pregnant Auburn woman

Authorities have arrested an Auburn man in Texas in connection with the alleged kidnapping of his friend’s wife, who was found safe and reunited with her family in Guatemala, according to Auburn police.

Daniel Lopez, 24, was taken into custody by the FBI in Houston on October 19 following a multi-state investigation.

Lopez is facing a first-degree kidnapping charge stemming from an incident on Oct. 13 when 21-year-old Jackelin Rocio Perez was allegedly taken at gunpoint from her Auburn apartment.

According to court documents, the investigation began on Oct. 14, when Jackelin’s husband, Anderson Jordan, called 911 to report her missing.

Jordan told police that his wife had been alone in their apartment in the 5600 block of I Street Northeast in Auburn when a friend, identified as “EG,” dropped off the $2,000 he had borrowed.

Jordan explained that he met “EG” through his construction job and had loaned him money over the past few months.

“EG,” a 17-year-old male acquaintance, had called Jordan that evening and said he planned to repay the debt.

Since he was at work, Jordan instructed “EG” to leave the money with his wife, who was at home.

Jordan tried to reach his wife and “EG” around 6:30 p.m., but received no response from either.

When he returned home shortly afterwards, he found the door open and Jackelin missing.

Inside, he noticed that her cell phone, ID and clothing had been left in the bedroom, adding to his concern.

He immediately contacted family and friends, hoping to find his wife, but no one had seen or heard from her.

As part of the investigation, detectives spoke with two witnesses, identified only as “W1” and “W2,” who had been near the apartment complex the night of Jackelin’s disappearance.

According to W1, she saw a man give her a “peace sign” as he walked past her car in the parking lot around 6 p.m.

W2, W1’s friend, described the same person as a young Hispanic man with a distinctive facial tattoo.

When W2 entered the building, he saw Jackelin hurriedly leaving her apartment, barefoot and only partially made up.

He said she appeared to walk quickly toward the exit, where two Hispanic men, including the man he saw earlier, were waiting.

When W2 attempted to leave the building, one of the men allegedly accosted him, waving a gun and demanding, “Who do you work for?” What are you banging? Do you work for Gato?’

W2 said he responded that he wasn’t “afraid” or working for anyone, and he observed the men speaking to Jackelin in Spanish, which he did not understand.

Shortly afterwards, Jackelin was seen leaving with the two men, who escorted her to a car in the parking lot.

W2 focused on getting out of the area and didn’t see if they forced her into the car.

Based on witness statements and a review of surveillance footage from a nearby business, detectives identified a black Honda, model year estimated between 2017 and 2020, entering and leaving the complex around the time of the incident.

Surveillance revealed that the vehicle entered the parking lot around 5:51 p.m. and left shortly after Jackelin’s disappearance.

Detectives traced the car’s license plate number to Lopez, who also owns a BMW with a previous incident report involving bullet damage in September.

Both vehicles matched witness descriptions.

The FBI CAST team tracked cell phone records linked to a number linked to Lopez.

Records showed Lopez’s phone was near the apartment at the time of Jackelin’s kidnapping.

Lopez’s phone later showed movement from Washington state, leading officers to Texas.

On October 19, FBI agents and local law enforcement agencies in Houston located and arrested Lopez near a hotel, where he was found with the phone linked to the kidnapping.

During his arrest, a firearm was found while a person accompanied him.

Meanwhile, on October 19, Mexican immigration authorities encountered Jackelin in southern Mexico.

According to a DEA agent involved in the case, Jackelin narrated the events, explaining that she was taken from her apartment at gunpoint and transported to various locations before being driven to Tijuana.

During the trip, she stated, she was accompanied by “EG,” who was reportedly upset and at times crying.

Once in Mexico, they were separated by immigration officials, who transported Jackelin back to Guatemala.

Auburn Police, the FBI and the DEA continue to investigate, and authorities are working to determine the exact whereabouts of “EG,” who remains missing.