A Texas man will spend decades behind bars to kidnap him and rape a 13 -year -old girl who was not rescued until the righteous Samaritans saw her with a brand “Help me” at the back of the car.
The US Public Prosecutor's Office for the Central Region in California said that Stephen Robert Salelan, 63, confessed to kidnapping the girl at the threat of weapons in July 2023 in San Antonio before being led by approximately 1400 miles to California.
On Friday, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Salelan, which is originally from Clipin, Texas, kidnapped the girl on July 6, 2023, then led her more than 1000 miles to Long Beach, California.
The authorities said that during the kidnapping, he sexually assaulted the child and used a firearm “to threaten and control it.”
At that time, he had no “legal nursery or a family relationship with the victim,” said the US Prosecutor's Office.
The teenager was rescued after three days – when the righteous Samaritans called the number 911 after seeing the teenager bearing a sign that read “Help me”.
“The good Samaritans were in a parking lot when they saw the victim in a parked car carrying a piece of paper with” Help Me “written on it,” according to a press statement issued in July 2023 from the Long Beach Police Department. “They confessed to the memo and called immediately 9-1-1.”
According to the authorities, the girl also “helped me” for passers -by while Siban was inside a sink.
At one time during the kidnapping, Sapian asked the victim about her age, and she answered 13 years.
She later promised her that she could take a cruise to visit a friend in Australia, but she said that she had “had to do something for him first”, according to a chest chest statement from the US Prosecutor's Office.
“[Sablan] Prosecutors said in the ruling note: “She kidnapped a child violently and repeatedly assaulted her while leading her thousands of miles away from her home.” “and” [Sablan] He spent days in abuse for his happiness, and the father of her parents over their missing child, for fear of the worst. The worst was not far from reality. “
