Oregon Girl Rescued After Cellphone Records Lead Police to Home

A 10-year-old girl missing from her home in Canby, Oregon, was found alive after investigators traced emergency cellphone records to a house in nearby Oregon City. The search ended October 28 with the child in police custody and Vince Edgar Chavez under arrest. On November 3, federal prosecutors added a kidnapping charge to the serious accusations he already faced in state court.

The emergency began shortly after 1:30 a.m. at the Orchards Apartments on Southeast Township Road, roughly 13 hours before the girl was recovered. According to police accounts reported by FOX 12, the girls’ mother called 911 after an intruder entered the home. Her younger daughter had been taken, and her 12-year-old daughter had been seriously injured during the attack.

Clackamas County prosecutors subsequently accused Chavez of attacking the older girl and abducting her sister. The older child was hospitalized following the assault, authorities said. Police have not publicly identified a connection between the family and Chavez that would explain why the home was targeted.

Officers searching for the younger girl began piecing together leads from interviews, earlier police contacts and information gathered around the disappearance. The FBI joined local agencies as investigators worked through the morning to find her before another night passed.

With authorities concerned for the child’s life, investigators obtained emergency cellular records. The FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team examined the information while Oregon City police conducted a ground search. Together, those efforts focused attention on a residence on Pleasant Avenue, according to the federal criminal complaint described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Investigators also found a white van associated with Chavez near the property. At approximately 1:46 p.m., FBI agents saw him approach the van and return to the house. Officers entered the residence without waiting for a warrant, citing the risk to the missing child and the information already gathered.

Inside the home, officers recovered the girl and took Chavez into custody. She was taken for medical evaluation. Federal prosecutors said other people present at the residence were interviewed and told investigators they had not known the child was there.

The U.S. Marshals Service, which assisted in the operation, reported that Chavez attempted to leave through the back of the house when police entered. Its account and the later federal release describe the child’s precise location differently. Both agencies report that officers recovered her inside the residence and arrested Chavez during the operation.

At a Clackamas County court hearing the following day, prosecutors described a violent attack on both sisters. They charged Chavez with first-degree attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, sex offenses, burglary and unlawful use of a weapon. Circuit Judge Jeffrey S. Jones ordered him held without bail at the request of the district attorney’s office.

Investigators also presented evidence that the child had been moved by vehicle across several jurisdictions. Federal prosecutors said the use of interstate transportation routes and a cellphone in the alleged crime formed part of the basis for bringing a separate federal kidnapping case.

The federal complaint, announced November 3, was filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Portland. The investigation involves the FBI, the Oregon City Police Department, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Rochat is handling the federal prosecution.

For the family, the immediate outcome was the recovery of the younger girl. The older sister’s injuries and the allegations surrounding the attack remain central to the state case. Chavez has not been convicted in either proceeding; the next state arraignment on an indictment was scheduled for November 5.

References: U.S. Attorney’s Office: Oregon Man Charged with Federal Kidnapping Offense | Clackamas County: Vince Chavez Arraigned on Kidnapping and Other Charges | FOX 12: Man Held Without Bail in Canby Kidnapping | U.S. Marshals Service: Capture and Recovery