Left: Surveillance footage allegedly shows Marlly Jarina Ardila-Urrego and Chun Ho Vincent Lai, who is allegedly in disguise as an Amazon delivery driver. Right: Lai allegedly carrying a red bag containing the kidnapped child (KOMO screenshots)
A 42-year-old man and his 33-year-old wife were arrested after they drove from their home in Florida all the way to Washington state where they allegedly executed an elaborate plan to ambush a woman and abduct her 7-month-old daughter. Marlly Jarina Ardila-Urrego, who is a cousin of the infant’s mother, and her husband, Chun Ho Vincent Lai, were taken into custody last week and charged with a spate of felonies, including kidnapping, burglary, and assault, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
“This case is extraordinarily unusual,” Senior King County Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Phillips wrote in court documents filed Thursday, the Seattle Times reported. “(They) came to Washington for the explicit reason of taking this baby by force.”
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO, Lai and Ardila-Urrego at about 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 20 went to the mother’s apartment, which is about 20 miles south of Seattle. Footage from a parking lot security camera appears to show Ardila-Urrego and Lai — who is dressed as an Amazon delivery person and carrying a clipboard and brown cardboard box — park in the lot and stand near their car for about 10 minutes, possibly waiting for the infant’s father to leave the home.
The couple then reportedly went to the apartment of the mother, whom Ardila-Urrego had told to expect a package, and knocked on her door. When the woman opened the door, Lai allegedly attacked, punching the woman in the face several times until she was knocked to the ground.
The couple then entered the apartment where they bound the mother’s hands and feet with zip ties and placed tape over the mouth of her 2-year-old child, authorities said. Ardila-Urrego was reportedly wearing a mask and did not speak in an effort to hide her identity from her cousin.
Lai allegedly grabbed the infant and placed the baby inside of the Amazon box while locking the already-bound mother in her bedroom. Police said he also “gestured as if he were going to stab (the 2-year-old child) if (the mother) did not cooperate,” per the report.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Ardila-Urrego return to the car with Lai, who can be seen carrying a red bag that allegedly contained the kidnapped child and placing it in the vehicle before they both drive away.
Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT reported that the mother was able to get free of the restraints and ran out of the home to search for her missing infant. She then called 911 and relayed the series of events to the emergency dispatcher.
The grandfather of the kidnapped child, who is also Ardila-Urrego’s uncle, spoke to police and reportedly pointed to Ardila-Urrego as a likely suspect for several reasons. First, he told police that Ardila-Urrego had repeatedly asked him for the victim’s address, which he said was “unusual” because Ardila-Urrego “does not often keep in contact with the family,” per KOMO. He also reportedly noted that about one year earlier, Ardila-Urrego told him she was going to make $70,000 by acting as a surrogate and giving birth to another couple’s baby, though he added he did not believe Ardila-Urrego ever became pregnant.
Additionally, the kidnapped child’s mother reportedly told police that she had recently been in contact with Ardila-Urrego, who told the mother to expect a package to be delivered for the baby on Feb. 20.
After conducting several interviews and obtaining surveillance footage, investigators said they were able to positively identify Lai and his vehicle which led to the FBI securing GPS tracking on his cellphone.
Authorities reported the vehicle’s description and location to Washington State Patrol and troopers were able to conduct a traffic stop on the car as it was driving east on I-90. Troopers said they located the kidnapped child in the vehicle and placed Lai and Ardila-Urrego under arrest. The child had not been harmed.
The duo were still in detention as of Friday morning on bond of $750,000. They are currently scheduled to appear in court on March 7.
