A 31-year-old man is accused of kidnapping two foster children from Sanpete County, one of whom he was allegedly dating, and taking them to Los Angeles, Calif.
Delmar Darinel Escalante Isidro, 31, faces two felony kidnapping charges, according to a probable cause statement from Sanpete County.
The two children, one a 16-year-old girl and the other a 12-year-old girl, were last seen on June 3 and reported missing by their foster parents. According to court documents, the two girls had been moved to another home in Tropic, Utah, to hide them from a boyfriend who was “sneaking into the residence and engaging in relations with the 16-year-old juvenile female.”
The foster family reported the boyfriend as Isidro, though they noted he was going by another name while in Tropic: Humberto Cadena, 34.
On June 4, police were notified by the Guatemalan parents of the two girls. The girls had told their parents they were in Los Angeles with a friend, staying at a family member’s house. The parents told the girls to return to the foster family, but when they asked for more information on their whereabouts, they allegedly ended the call.
A case worker with the Department of Family and Child Services were able to provide photos of Isidro, while Garfield County Sheriff’s deputies confirmed his alter ego, Cadena.
A deputy with Garfield County noted they had encountered Isidro as Cadena on May 10, when he “was found passed out on the residence’s lawn where the juveniles were staying.” Isidro was allegedly so intoxicated at the time, an ambulance had to be called. After his release from the hospital, he “disappeared.”
By June 6, police said the foster family believed the missing girls were staying with a woman named Linsi Barrios in L.A. By this time, however, the girls were believed to be back en route to Fountain Green. Later that night, the girls were sighted at a Walmart in Cedar City. A teacher from Garfield County was in the Walmart, where the girls allegedly ran “up to her and hugged her.” The girls were reportedly “very dirty and their parents were not around.”
“When the 12-year-old hugged her, she did not want to let go, which caused concern,” stated the court documents.
Later that night, the girls were found in Isidros’ custody in a car with California license plates. The girls were “hiding in the backseat and appeared scared,” stated the court documents. Isidros admitted to taking the two girls across state lines. The 12-year-old, specifically, was not able to give legal consent to this, as she is under the age of 14.
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
