AUBURN, Wash. — A 24-year-old Federal Way man has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping a pregnant woman at gunpoint and taking her to Mexico.
Daniel Lopez was arraigned Tuesday after he was indicted in federal court.
Lopez is accused of abducting the woman from her Auburn home in October. Court documents state her husband reported her missing the next day.
He told police that his wife had been alone at their apartment when a 17-year-old friend of his was supposed to drop off $2,000 that he borrowed. When the husband returned home, the front door was open, and his wife was gone.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, two people told police they saw the woman leaving with two men, and one of them had a gun. Police later identified him as Lopez, thanks to surveillance footage in the area.
With help from the FBI, authorities tracked Lopez to Houston, Texas, and arrested him.
The woman told law enforcement that she and the teen were taken from the apartment by gunpoint and driven to Tijuana. When Mexican immigration authorities found her, they transported her to Guatemala where she has family members, according to court documents.
The 17-year-old is still missing. The Auburn Police Department, the FBI, and the DEA are continuing to investigate his exact whereabouts.
A trial for Lopez is tentatively set for Feb. 3, 2025. He faces up to life in federal prison if convicted.