FEDERAL WAY, WA – A couple from Florida face charges of kidnapping, burglary, robbery, and assault after supposedly abducting a relative’s 7-month-old infant in Washington State. The authorities apprehended the suspects, Marlly Jarina Ardila-Urrego, 33, and Chun Ho Vincent Lai, 42, in connection with the alleged incident on February 20 in Federal Way.
According to reports, the couple allegedly planned the abduction owing to their relative’s ownership of a child. As per charging documents, Ardila-Urrego pestered her cousin, the baby’s mother, asking for her address multiple times in the days leading to the incident. Ardila-Urrego allegedly informed her cousin that a bed frame ordered for her child would arrive on February 20.
The victim recounted that on that day, a knock on the door followed her spouse’s departure for work. She noticed a person resembling an Amazon delivery driver holding an Amazon box through the peephole. However, when she opened the door, the man, who prosecutors affirm was Lai, allegedly began assailing her in the face before binding her wrists and ankles with zip ties.
An unknown woman, supposedly Ardila-Urrego, then entered the apartment and, while restraining the mother, assisted the man in placing the infant into the Amazon box and leaving the apartment.
The victim reported that one of the attackers had threatened to harm her 2-year-old child if she offered resistance. After their departure, the woman removed the zip ties and alerted 911.
The paternal grandfather of the victim, expressing suspicion of Ardila-Urrego’s odd inquiries about the victim’s home address, disclosed to authorities his awareness of her plan to sell a baby for $70,000.
Following this, police utilized cellphone data to locate the couple, manage their arrest, and rescue the unharmed infant, less than four hours after the alleged abduction.
The court has set bail at $750,000 for each suspect, and their arraignment is scheduled for March. It remains unclear if the defendants have appointed legal counsel.