A woman missing for 10 years has been found by California authorities, and a man has been taken into custody on charges of kidnapping and sexual assault.
The victim, who is not being named at this time, was kidnapped in 2004 at the age of 15 by her mother's boyfriend, Isidro Garcia, the Santa Ana Police Department said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.
The victim, now 25 years old, was reported missing by her mother, who told police at the time that she had been assaulted by Garcia before he drugged her daughter and escaped with her.
Authorities said that after kidnapping the victim, Garcia, now 41, locked her in a garage to prevent her from fleeing. As the days and eventual years passed, Garcia allegedly convinced his victim that her family had given up the search for her, and that if she tried to return to them, her family would be deported.
Garcia also allegedly falsified identity documents for his victim.
According to the release:
The two moved on several occasions to avoid police detection. Garcia frequently physically and sexually assaulted the victim. Garcia arraigned [sic] for the two of them to receive employment at a night cleaning service, so he could keep a close eye on the victim.
Police said that, while the victim may have had chances to escape, years of "physical and mental abuse" could have prevented her from taking the opportunity. In 2007, Garcia forced the woman into a marriage and in 2012, Garcia and his victim had a child together, the release said.
The victim was not found until she contacted her sister on Facebook. After communicating with her sister, authorities said she gained the courage to contact the police.
This is a developing story.
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