AUBURN, Wash. — A missing Auburn woman has been found alive in Mexico after being kidnapped at gunpoint from her apartment, according to the Auburn Police Department.
Jackelin Perez, 21, is now back in her native Guatemala where she plans to stay. She is six weeks pregnant.
One person has been arrested in connection with her kidnapping, and police believe that more people are involved.
According to the Auburn Police Department, Perez went missing on the evening of Oct. 13. Authorities say she was "taken from her home under duress," and they did not believe it was a random incident. Police said Perez confirmed that she was kidnapped at gunpoint.
Perez moved to Auburn about four months ago with her husband and speaks limited English. Police said she has lived in the United States for about one year, but was living in Guatemala before.
Police said her husband arrived home around 20 minutes after she was kidnapped, and called police the next day.
"He didn't call us until Monday morning," said Kolby Crossley, the public information officer for the Auburn Police Department. "So she was taken Sunday the 13th between 6 and 7 p.m., and then he didn't call us until, I think 7 a.m. or so the next morning."
Auburn police, the FBI and other agencies tracked one of the suspects in her disappearance, a 24-year-old, to Texas, where law enforcement arrested the suspect on Oct. 19. Authorities believe more people are involved and are working to locate them.
Police said the kidnappers brought Perez to Mexico and released her. They said they did not know why they chose to release her there.
Police said the woman's kidnapping was connected to "illegal activity" but that the woman herself was not involved.
"There is a lot the still go over," said Crossley. "But the good news is, the great news is, is that she was found and that she is safe."