Man charged in kidnapping of 4-year-old Independence girl
A 35-year-old man is facing a felony charge of child kidnapping after a mother told police that he disappeared with her 4-year-old daughter, prompting a law enforcement response Wednesday night that included helicopter surveillance and the assembly of the Independence SWAT team.
Juan C. Lopez, of Independence, was charged Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court following his arrest the night before outside of a QuikTrip gas station in the suburb. The 4-year-old was taken temporarily into child-protective custody and later released to her family, according to court records.
According to a probable cause statement written by an Independence detective, the mother called the police department late Wednesday afternoon to report that Lopez and her daughter had been gone roughly 18 hours. She told them she had known Lopez for the past 6 months, and thought they were going to a gas station for ice roughly one mile away.
She awoke the following morning to discover they were still out. When she contacted Lopez, court records state, she either heard vague excuses or nothing at all.
Police attempted to track Lopez’s cellphone but were unable to immediately pinpoint its location because it was likely turned off or out of range.
As the mother was being interviewed by an Independence detective Wednesday night, she received a phone call from Lopez where he again allegedly refused to disclose where they had gone. But that phone call allowed police to begin pinpointing his location, court records state.
As Lopez was traveling south on U.S. Route 169, a Kansas City police helicopter was called in for surveillance assistance. Police detectives and the SWAT team discreetly followed the car as well until Lopez stopped at the QuikTrip by Sterling Avenue and U.S. 40, according to charging documents.
Lopez was arrested there and taken to Independence police department’s detention unit.
During an interview with police, Lopez allegedly provided vague answers when questioned about where he and the girl had gone or what they were doing exactly. He told them at one point that he had taken her to a motel and also to Walmart for a toy.
He also told them he had experienced trouble with a flat tire. When asked why he failed to answer several calls and text messages, he blamed the 4-year-old girl for hiding his phone.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 10:24 PM.
