Colombian teenager escapes 12 years after being kidnapped

The victim went missing 12 years ago when she was seven years old.

In the statement made by the prosecutor’s office, it was stated that the woman ran away in February and reported her harasser, who was arrested in the city of Medellin last week.

After being abducted, the girl was moved between addresses in Medellin and nearby Bello for years and was allegedly raped on camera.

In the statement, which also included her photo, it was claimed that her captor was Carlos Humberto Grisales Higuita, that he allegedly changed the girl’s name and kept her out of sight and away from school.

The suspect is accused of kidnapping and raping an underage child and producing child sexual abuse materials.

The prosecution said the man “psychologically manipulated” the girl into believing such behavior was normal.

The statement said the alleged victim confronted her captor when she was 16, prompting him to lock her in a house from which she escaped earlier this year.

The man appeared in court last week and denied all charges. It was decided to keep him in pre-trial detention.

Recent cases of child sexual abuse, including by foreign tourists, in Medellin have sparked a wave of anger in Colombia.

According to municipal data, 139 cases of child sexual abuse were recorded between January and August this year in the city with a population of 2.5 million.

This year, 14 foreigners were arrested in Medellin for sexual abuse of children.

In April, the case of an American visitor who was arrested after entering a hotel with two girls, but was later released, led the city hall to ban street prostitution in tourist areas.