Sam Amico
A girl who was abducted from a mall in Vancouver, Washington, more than four years ago was found alive in Mexico and has returned safely to her home, the FBI announced.
Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez was just 4-years-old when she was kidnapped on October 25, 2018. According to the FBI, she was kidnapped by her biological mother during a court-supervised visit. Her biological mother, identified as Esmeralda Lopez-Lopez by Fox 12 Oregon, was the non-custodial parent.
“For more than four years, the FBI and our partners did not give up on Aranza,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “Our concern now will be supporting Aranza as she begins her reintegration into the U.S.”
Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez
It was determined at the time of the kidnapping that Aranza had been taken to Mexico. Her biological mother was arrested in Puebla, Mexico, in 2019 and quickly extradited to Clark County. It’s unclear where Aranza was at the time of her mother’s arrest.
Lopez-Lopez was sentenced to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree kidnapping, second-degree robbery, and first-degree custodial interference in January 2021.
The FBI said Wednesday that it had safely found Aranza in Michoacán, Mexico, last month. She has been taken to an undisclosed location in the U.S., where she is believed to be back with family members.
