A 23-year-old woman has been charged after allegedly kidnapping a three-year-old Arizona girl.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced in a press release on Friday, March 6, that Marina Noriega has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of interfering with custody and burglary related to the kidnapping of Kehlani Rogers.
Prosecutors said Noriega was charged with interference because of allegations that Rogers did not live with his parents. Meanwhile, the burglary count stems from the fact that Noriega was in the family’s home illegally before the kidnapping, according to AZFamily.
Noriega is currently being held on a $250,000 cash bond.
The Avondale Police Department reported Rogers missing from Avondale, Arizona, after he was last seen on February 20 around 11:30 p.m.
“Kehlani is described as 3’5” tall, thin, brown braided hair, brown eyes, and was last seen wearing pink pajamas. It is believed that he was with a woman known only as ‘Merena,’ who is described as a 30-year-old White woman, short, with brown hair in a ponytail, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a white top and purple or pink pants,” police wrote at the time.
After two days of being missing, Rogers was found safe on February 22.
Rogers’ parents told police they welcomed a “random woman” into their home who needed a place to stay, according to court documents obtained by 12 News. They woke up on the morning of February 21 to find that the woman and their child had disappeared.
The police then began a manhunt for Noriega and Rogers. A major breakthrough in the case came when investigators received a tip that helped them identify Noriega as the suspect, which they shared in a February 22 update.
The woman told police she rode Noriega and the child to Maricopa when Noriega shared his plan to board a train to California, according to court documents.
Footage rented from a local business in Maricopa allegedly confirmed that Noriega was there with the little girl.
Investigators found Noriega and Kehlani at a gas station on the morning of February 22 after they were spotted in Phoenix, Avondale police said in a statement.
Noriega allegedly told police that she was Rogers’ mother and that the girl was born in Sacramento and was kidnapped from the hospital, according to documents seen by AZFamily.
She reportedly told investigators she went to Arizona looking for a family and “coincidentally” found her child. However, he later admitted that Rogers was not his daughter and said he made a mistake.
The car of an Arizona woman who disappeared nearly two weeks ago was found with blood stains on the interior and damage throughout the vehicle, according to media reports citing new court documents. Isabella Comas, 21, was last seen leaving her friend’s house in Avondale on January 11, when she was driving her red Hyundai Sonata. […]
“I shouldn’t have used this situation to do what I did. You’re right, that’s my fault,” Noriega told authorities, according to AZFamily.
Noriega is expected to appear in court on Wednesday, March 11, and his case is expected to be heard from July 8.
It is not yet clear if Noriega has filed his plea or if he still has a legal position following his arrest. The police also did not reveal a reason for the kidnapping.
