AMERICAN FORK, Utah (ABC4) – A 1-year-old girl is now safe with her mother after police say she was kidnapped from her home in American Fork.
According to the American Fork Police Department, at around 6:42 a.m. Tuesday morning, officers responded to a home in American Fork for a report of a child kidnapping in progress.
Police said a woman reported that someone had entered the back door of her home and took her 1-year-old daughter from her bedroom, and drove off.
Once officers arrived on the scene the woman told police that a man, identified as Aaron Castro, had been recently stalking her.
Officers discovered that Castro lived in Lindon City and officers from both American Fork and Lindon City responded to his home, a release said.
A few minutes later, police received a 911 call from a member of Castro’s family saying that she had found a baby outside of her home with Castro.
Lindon officers, who arrived to Castro’s home shortly after the call, positively identified the 1-year-old as the kidnapped child. Officers then arrested Castro inside of his home, a press release said.
A press release said that the baby was transported to a local hospital as a precaution. Documents say that the baby did not appear to have any injuries, but officers did describe the 1-year-old as “lethargic.”
Family members of Castro told police that he had a history of mental illness.
In an interview with police, Castro told officers that he had been weight training at a recreation center in Pleasant Grove at the time of the kidnapping.
Officers reviewed surveillance video of the Pleasant Grove Recreation Center and found that Castro was not there when the kidnapping occurred, according to a press release.
A member of Castro’s family told police that she woke up around 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning to find Castro outside her home with the kidnapped baby on the ground and Castro’s car outside multiple doors of the car left open.
A press release said that surveillance video obtained by police placed Castro’s vehicle in the area of the home where the baby was kidnapped. The video also showed Castro leaving his home and returning to his home after the kidnapping occurred.
In a news release, the American Fork Police Department thanked fellow police departments for assisting with the investigation, saying;
“We’re grateful to our officers’ and detectives’ rapid response and attention to detail which
ultimately helped to ensure the safe rescue and return of the child. We would like to extend our
gratitude to the Lindon Police Department, Pleasant Grove Police Department, Orem Police
Department, and Central Utah 911 Dispatch for their assistance with this investigation and the
safe recovery of the 1-year old victim. We greatly value the positive inter-jurisdictional
relationships we have with our fellow Utah County law enforcement and dispatch agencies.,”
