September 15, 2008

 On September 5, 2008 a woman reported to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police that she had been kidnapped while walking along East Blvd and then raped by three Hispanic males. Since this incident occurred, CMPD's Sexual Assault Unit has been aggressively investigating every aspect of this case. During their investigation Sexual Assault detectives learned the following:

•  The victim reported that the kidnapping occurred while she was walking on East Blvd. near the Greek Festival; however the incident actually originated at 3441 South Blvd.  
• The victim was not kidnapped or abducted but voluntarily accompanied a male who drove her in a pickup truck from 3441 South Blvd to Hollis Ave., which is off of South Blvd. 
• The male who drove the victim to Hollis Avenue was not involved in the sexual assault. Two suspects joined them on Hollis Ave. and were actually involved in this incident; they were not strangers to the victim. They are described as Hispanic males in their mid 20's, one 5'8", 200 lbs., and the second 5'3", 130 lbs. 
• The original suspect vehicle information is incorrect, in fact there was no vehicle involved in the actual sexual assault incident.   

During their investigation detectives learned that the victim provided fictitious information about herself and many of the details of the sexual assault to police because she had outstanding arrest warrants in North Carolina and South Carolina.    

CMPD's Sexual Assault Unit continues to aggressively investigate this sexual assault incident and is seeking assistance from anyone who might have information which will assist in identifying the suspects in this case.   

The lead detective for this incident is Detective M. Melendez. He can be reached at 704.353.0560.