24 August 2023 , 13:50
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A mum has been accused of leaving her own five-year-old daughter with an elderly alleged kidnapper.
A 30-year-old woman has been arrested Wednesday after she left her five-year-old daughter in the care of an elderly acquaintance who then allegedly kidnapped and sexually abused the child, New York police said.
Kimberly Pijuan, from Queens, New York, met 75-year-old Franz Vila a few months ago. On Tuesday, while shopping with her daughter at a Foodtown in Jackson Heights, Pijuan ran into Vila again. She agreed to let Vila take her daughter to a nearby playground while she continued shopping.
When Pijuan returned to pick up her daughter, neither she nor Vila were at the playground. Pijuan called the police around 1pm to report her daughter missing. The NYPD circulated a photo of the girl, last seen wearing a pink floral dress, as they urgently searched for her.
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After seeing news reports, bystanders spotted a girl matching the description near the Roosevelt Avenue subway station. They alerted police, who apprehended Vila and rescued the girl. The five-year-old told investigators Vila had sexually assaulted her.
Surveillance footage revealed Vila had taken the girl back to his Upper East Side apartment around 12.30pm. He was arrested and charged with kidnapping, sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment, and child endangerment. Pijuan was also arrested and charged with child endangerment for leaving her daughter with Vila.
Law enforcement sources said Pijuan and Vila had met a few months ago, and a report from WCBS-TV described the nature of their relationship as “acquaintances at best”.
The two suspects were awaiting arraignment as of Wednesday evening. While police found the missing child, the tragic case highlights the potential dangers of leaving young children with strangers.