SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Police Department detectives, led by Captain Trent Duda, apprehended 31-year-old Raul Arellano at RSW Regional Jail in Front Royal, Virginia, on Tuesday at about 10:45 a.m. on a kidnapping charge stemming from a Springfield incident.
The arrest followed the July 28 report of a missing 13-year-old girl who was seen on video leaving her home and entering a vehicle around 1:40 a.m. The girl had been reported as a runaway.
In collaboration with the girl’s family, detectives identified Arellano as a suspect in the case.
With assistance from State Police, they tracked Arellano’s vehicle to Virginia, moving south.
Virginia State Police then stopped and arrested Arellano in New Market, Virginia, where they also found the missing girl.
The investigation revealed that Arellano, a Huntsville, Alabama resident, drove to Springfield from his home after engaging in online conversations with the girl.
It is believed the two had previously met in Alabama, where the girl’s primary residence is located.
Following the arrest, Springfield detectives returned from Washington, D.C. to Bradley International Airport and subsequently transported Arellano to the Springfield Police Headquarters, arriving around 6:45 p.m.
Arellano faces charges including kidnapping based on an arrest warrant issued in connection with the case.
