AMERICAN FORK — A Salem man who police say has a history of mental illness was charged Tuesday with kidnapping a 1-year-old child from her bedroom.
Aaron Octavio Castro, 25, is charged in 4th District Court with child kidnapping and aggravated burglary, both first-degree felonies.
On Feb. 9, Castro entered the back door of his former girlfriend’s house in American Fork and took her 1-year-old daughter from the child’s bedroom, according to charging documents.
The mother said she heard her daughter crying early that morning and heard a car driving away before discovering that her baby had been kidnapped.
“As officers were responding to (Castro’s) residence, dispatch reported that (his) sister was requesting police response because she had found (him) outside the home with a baby on the ground,” the charges state.
The missing child was found in Lindon. Officers noted “multiple abrasions and lacerations to her face, arms and legs,” according to charging documents.
Castro told detectives he found the child in the driveway of his sister’s home after he had worked out at the Pleasant Grove Recreation Center, a police affidavit states. But investigators said they found no video evidence that Castro had been there.
Prosecutors also noted that police have “multiple documented incidents with (Castro) for unusual behavior and mental issues,” the charges state. Castro’s family and the baby’s mother told police that Castro has a history of mental illness, including schizophrenia, according to a police affidavit.
The infant was taken to a local hospital after the incident and was later released to her mother.