RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – Rankin County deputies arrested a 24-year-old Texas man for allegedly kidnapping a 15-year-old girl from Tennessee.
On December 30, 2021, a deputy noticed a Ford Fusion was driving recklessly on I-20 near Pelahatchie. The deputy stopped the vehicle and saw an adult man and a young woman in the car.
Investigators said the man was identified as Oliver D. Gutierrez, of Houston, Texas. They said Gutierrez identified his passenger as his 20-year-old friend.
While the deputy was interviewing Gutierrez and the young woman, investigators said the deputy noticed their stories were not matching up. The deputy asked for and was granted permission to search the vehicle.
“After seeing some of this behavior and getting some of the questions and the answers weren’t matching up he asked for consent to search the vehicle, searched the vehicle and actually found some identification belonging to the female and determined that she was a 15-year-old female that lived in Tennessee. He had just gone to Tennessee to pick the female up and bring her back, as far as we know, back to Houston with him,” said Rankin County Sheriff’s Office Captain Paul Holley.
Authorities said the deputy was able to determine the passenger was a 15-year-old from Tennessee. The female allegedly stated that she met Gutierrez online and left with him nine hours earlier.
Gutierrez and the teen were taken to the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office for further questioning.
“He had been actually enticing her online for months. This is something that he has been doing for quite a while. Trying to break down the barrier and establish trust where he could get her to go with him.,” said Captain Paul Holley.
Officers from the Attorney General’s Office and the FBI Human Trafficking task force were also present during the subsequent investigation. They said Gutierrez had contacted the teen online and enticed her to leave with him once he was able to get to her location. The team was able to locate the parents who then came to pick her up and return her safely to her home.
Gutierrez was arrested and taken to the Rankin County Jail. He is being charged with kidnapping, child exploitation and enticement of a child for sexual purposes. Rankin County Court Judge David Morrow ordered Gutierrez to be held with no bond.