A Florida couple was arrested late last month after reportedly kidnapping an infant from Washington state while the man pretended to be an Amazon delivery driver.
King County prosecutors have charged 33-year-old Marlly Jarina Ardila-Urrego and 42-year-old Chun Ho Vincent Lai with first-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary, second-degree assault of a child, first-degree robbery and second-degree assault.
According to prosecutors, the couple planned to abduct the seven-month-old child of one of Ardila-Urrego’s relatives, traveling from Florida to Washington state to kidnap the baby.
The couple meticulously planned the kidnapping, with Ardila-Urrego calling her cousin in the days leading up to the incident to ask for her address — claiming that she had ordered a bed frame for her cousin’s baby that would be delivered on Feb. 20, according to court documents.
The victim heard a knock on the door on the morning of Feb. 20 just after her husband left for work. When she checked the peephole, the victim saw a person who appeared to be a delivery driver carrying an Amazon box. After opening her door, the victim was repeatedly punched in the face by Lai, who was posing as the delivery driver. He then dragged her to the ground and tied her wrists and ankles with zip ties.
The victim told authorities that a woman she did not recognize then entered her apartment, holding her down while Lai placed the baby inside the Amazon box and fled the scene.
NEW: Florida couple drives 45 hours to Washington to pose as Amazon delivery workers and kidnap a 7-month-old baby.
Insanity.
Marlly Jarina Ardila-Urrego and husband Chun Ho Vincent Lai have been arrested for kidnapping, burglary, and assault.
The couple drove to Seattle where… pic.twitter.com/HJ8QhLc79j
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 3, 2024
She also told police that one of the suspects had threatened her two-year-old child if she did not comply. The victim was ultimately able to slip out of the zip ties after the suspects fled and immediately called the police.
Law enforcement eventually caught up to Ardila-Urrego and Lai around four hours later, arresting them and returning the seven-month-old child to their home. The court set bail for each suspect at $700,000 and scheduled their arraignments for the morning of Mar. 7.
Authorities have not been able to identify a clear motive behind the kidnapping as of yet, noting that there is no evidence that mental illness or drug use contributed to the crime.
