A US man who allegedly tried to bring a 16-year-old girl into Canada against her will was denied entry, turned back and taken into custody, Vermont State Police said in a statement. newspapers.
Police said the kidnapping plot was foiled Thursday morning when 19-year-old Christopher Jesus Constanzo was turned away from the Canadian border and asked to return to the US.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers then questioned two people in the vehicle and were told by a 16-year-old girl that she had been detained against her will and had been sexually assaulted, police said. close said.
Constanzo has been taken into custody and is expected to face charges.
Vermont police said in a statement from Friday that the girl was kept in the trunk of a 2007 Toyota Camry for most of the trip from an unspecified part of Connecticut, where the kidnapping took place, to the Burlington area. , Vt.
Police said Constanzo stopped at a convenience store, let the girl out of the trunk and put her in the back seat before continuing across the border in Highgate Springs, Vt. Police say at least one person may have witnessed this happen, and security said camera footage from the store appeared to show the suspect at the counter.
However, no witnesses came first, police said.
Local media reported that the suspect was denied entry to Canada because there was no evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result.
The US Homeland Security Investigations Agency is also looking into the case.
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