Authorities in Houston arrested a 50-year-old suspect after he allegedly kidnapped a 3-year-old girl from her family home early on Aug. 21 and took her to a nearby hotel, police say.
The parents of the little girl, identified as Lincy Guity, reported her missing after they woke up in the middle of the night and saw their front door was ajar and their child missing, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said during a news conference.
Police immediately canvassed the area in a search for Lincy and received a tip from a neighbor who spotted the missing girl together with the suspect, who has been identified as Holman Hernandez.
The tip led investigators to a hotel located about one block from where Lincy was kidnapped. At about 2 p.m., police also located the suspect’s vehicle near Gillman Park, a short drive from the girl’s home.
“Management informed officers that they rented a room at approximately 7:30 a.m. to the suspect,” Finner said, adding that Hernandez initially refused to open the door, leaving officers no choice but to force their way into the room.
After police forced entry, they engaged in a brief scuffle with the suspect but eventually arrested him.
“He did put up a little bit of resistance before they took him into custody,” said Finner, noting that nobody got injured.
Lincy was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and appears to be OK, the police chief said.
The girl’s mother told Click 2 Houston that she hopes the suspect stays in jail for a long time.
“Give him the maximum time for taking my daughter,” she said.
Finner said the girl’s father was relieved after hearing they found his daughter, but he hadn’t spoken to the girl’s mother yet.
“I can’t imagine what they are going through, with a few hours not knowing where their little baby girl is,” the chief said. “It’s just tough. But we’re so glad, blessed, thank God the baby is OK.”
Investigators don’t believe that there’s a connection between the suspect and Lincy, but the abduction remains under investigation, Finner said. It wasn’t immediately clear what charges Hernandez would face.