On Monday May 6, Scottsdale Police Department detectives arrested Mario Rivera Salgado, age 43, on one count of Kidnapping and Child Molestation.
On Sunday, the day the victim and her mother were visiting a friend at the apartments located at 7110 E. Continental. Prior to 8:00 pm the victim went outside of the apartment to play with other children from the area. Shortly after, the victim’s mother went to look for her daughter and was unable to find her then contacted police. A witness was found that noticed the child had entered a blue Dodge with an individual known as Mario. It was learned that Mario lived in the complex and though was not a friend of the victim or her mother, had been seen by them at the complex in the past.
Investigation revealed that Salgado lured the child into his car and drove her to a friend’s home in the 2200 block of East Cheery Lynn in Phoenix. Salgado told the friend that the child was a relative and left her at the friend’s home when she fell asleep. Salgado was returning to his apartment on Continental when officers made contact with him and arrested him for Kidnapping just before 1:00 am. Officers went to the Phoenix home where they took custody of the child and turned her over to her mother.
At this time there are no additional victims that have been identified.
Though the majority of suspects in child abductions are family members or known to the child, it is very rare for an abduction to take place by a “stranger”. Scottsdale’s Crime Prevention Officers urge parents to talk to their children about Safety and Prevention measures. Tips such as these can be found at the website of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.