KEY POINTS

  • The male suspect kidnapped the minor at gunpoint in Honduras in January
  • Accused couple forced her into sex work while the husband acted as her "security"
  • The minor confided in her captors' niece about the ordeal which led to their arrests

Police are investigating a human trafficking case involving a couple from San Leandro, California, after a 17-year-old girl kidnapped from Honduras accused them of forcing her into prostitution.

Juan Aguilar, 41, and his wife Margaret Wilson, 39, have been charged with kidnapping to commit a sex crime, human trafficking of a minor, forcible rape, and forcible oral copulation after the victim came forward last month.

Aguilar allegedly kidnapped the girl at gunpoint in January and threatened to kill her grandmother if she contacted the authorities, KNTV reported.

The girl told the police that Aguilar raped her while they traveled together from Honduras to Guatemala. He then sold her to a person, who sexually assaulted her and smuggled her into the U.S., according to East Bay Times.

The girl arrived in Texas in May, and taken to Aguilar and Wilson in San Leandro. The accused couple kept the girl in a shed in their backyard for the five months that followed, where Aguilar "repeatedly raped her." Wilson was accused of forcing the girl to perform sex acts on her.

During this time, Wilson is also said to have "groomed" the minor into prostitution. The couple took the victim to San Francisco and forced her into sex work. Aguilar allegedly acted as her "security."

At one point, the girl opened up about her ordeal with Aguilar’s niece. The niece and her mother took the girl to San Francisco to file a police report.

Aguilar and Wilson were arrested on Oct. 5. The male suspect confessed to sexually assaulting the teen on several occasions.

"When asked her relationship with (Doe), Wilson immediately said she felt (Doe) was being, 'trafficked,'" San Leandro police Det. Joanna Villa wrote on the court report, according to the East Bay Times. "SLPD Detectives had not asked Wilson any questions regarding trafficking at this point in the interview. As the interview continued and SLPD Detectives pressed Wilson on her involvement, Wilson requested a lawyer."

"This is an unbelievably tragic incident, and we hope the victim finds solace and closure," Lt. Matt Barajas was quoted as saying by KPIX-TV.

Both accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. They are being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California, without bail.

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Representational Image. pixabay
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