After traveling from Florida to the state of Washington, dressing up as Amazon drivers, and stealing a 7-month-old child from a relative’s house, a couple from Florida were arrested.
“This case is extraordinarily unusual,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Phillips wrote in charges filed Thursday against the Lake Worth Beach couple, according to the Seattle Times.
According to the report, Marlly Ardila-Urrego, 33, told the child’s mother, a relative, that she had purchased a new bed for the child and that it would be delivered to her Federal Way home in Washington State on February 20, according to an affidavit that was cited by the Seattle Times.
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Chun Lai, 42, Ardila-Urrego’s partner, allegedly went to the woman’s house on the day of the alleged delivery, dressed as an Amazon employee and carrying a clipboard and box.
When the victim opened the door, Lai repeatedly punched her in the face, knocked her to the ground, and bound her wrists and ankles with zip ties as a woman later identified as Ardila-Urrego entered the apartment, according to the charges.
Lai then placed the baby in the Amazon box and fled the scene.
The Times reports that the woman ran outside with the 2-year-old to look for her baby after removing her ties and dialing 911.
According to reports, the woman’s father informed the FBI and police that he believed Ardila-Urrego was involved in the kidnapping because of her insistence on finding out the woman’s new address. It is said that prior to this, their relationship was not particularly close.
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About 180 miles from Federal Way, the scene of the crime, a Washington State Patrol trooper stopped Lai and Ardila-Urrego, according to the Seattle Times.
The trooper texted a photo of the girl to her police, confirming her identity after it was reported that the child was discovered inside the vehicle.
The Florida couple is being held with a $750,000 bail after being charged with first-degree kidnapping, robbery, assault, and burglary.
Additionally, according to the court records, there was “no evidence that mental illness or substance abuse contributed to this crime.”
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