FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — A Florida couple is in custody after police said they broke into a relative's Federal Way home and kidnapped their baby before eventually being caught hours later on Interstate 90.
Marrly Jariana Ardila-Urrego, 33, and Chun Ho Vincent Lai, 42, are charged with kidnapping, robbery, burglary and assault. The two were pulled over Feb. 20 near Moses Lake about three hours after the kidnapping, and the 7-month-old baby was unharmed, prosecutors said.
The mother of the child is Ardila-Urrego's cousin, and she had notified the family that she would be visiting and wanted to hand-deliver clothing for one of her children, according to court documents. Ardila-Urrego told the mother she ordered a bed frame on Amazon for the baby's 2-year-old sibling, and it would be delivered Feb. 20.
Shortly after the child's father left for work, the mother said there was a knock on the door. When she looked through the window, she saw a man wearing a jacket and sunglasses and carrying an Amazon box. When she opened the door, the man punched her multiple times in the face and forced his way into her residence, according to probable cause documents.
A woman walked in after the man, who allegedly held the mother down and the man zip-tied her hands and feet. Police said the female suspect kept the woman down as the male suspect found her infant baby and walked out the door with her in a box. The suspect allegedly gestured that he would stab the woman's 2-year-old child if she didn't cooperate.
Police reviewed surveillance video from neighbors that showed the two suspects park near the residence and then leave shortly after exiting in a white sedan. The father of the woman who was assaulted was contacted by police and told them he suspected his niece, Ardila-Urrego, was involved.
He told police that Ardila-Urrego had been insistent about getting the address of her cousin, which he found strange since he told police she did not keep close contact with the family.
Cellphone tracking information and automated license plate reader data from the Federal Bureau of Information helped officers narrow down the area where the suspects fled after the alleged kidnapping.
A Washington State Patrol trooper saw the vehicle, registered to Lai, driving east on I-90 near Moses Lake. A traffic stop was performed, and the two were arrested while the baby was retrieved and returned to its family.
The suspects also allegedly stole multiple iPhones and a tablet from the residence, which were later found in a bag in Lai's vehicle.
"The defendants came to Washington for the explicit reason of taking this baby, by force," wrote Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Phillips in the case summary and request for bail. She added that no mental illness or substance abuse was involved in the kidnapping, saying, "It appears that the victims were targeted because they were known to the defendants and known to have children."
Bail was set at $750,000 for both suspects despite the prosecutors asking for $2 million. Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 7 in Kent.