Five men accused of missing Indiana teen indicted in Macon County

MACON COUNTY, MO (KMIZ)

Five men described as illegal aliens in court documents have been charged with crimes in an investigation into the disappearance of a child in Indiana.

Carlos Funez, Marlon Aguilar and Daniel Ruiz Lopez, all of Honduras, as well as Arturo Eustaquio and Noe Guzman Hernández, both of Mexico, were all charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child in the Macon County.

Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers arrested the five men at 2:27 a.m. Monday, June 17, the probable cause statement states. Court records indicate they are being held without bond. They were first detained for 24 hours. They all appeared in court on Friday. Court records indicate Funez pleaded not guilty, but information on the other defendants' pleas was not available.

A bond review scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 27 for Aguilar, Ruiz Lopez, Guzman Hernandez, Eustaquio; while Funez's bond review is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Monday, July 1.

Probable causes indicate the men were trafficking the girl to California.

According to probable cause, arresting officers received information about a juvenile on the run from Indiana around 1:50 a.m. on June 17. her father allegedly saw her leave in a black SUV that may have been a Chevrolet Terrain, the statement said.

The girl's father reported her missing to the Logansport, Indiana Police Department. The probable cause statement does not specify the day the child went missing. The girl's cell phone was allegedly pinged or traced to a vehicle traveling westbound on Highway 36 near Hannibal, the release states.

Officers received a phone call from the Shelbina, Mo., Police Department, which said an officer saw a black Dodge Durango with Texas license plates slowing down when the driver saw police.

The Indiana Sheriff's Office – whose name is redacted in court documents – traced the vehicle as it passed through Clarence, Missouri at 2:11 a.m., the release said. About six minutes later, Missouri law enforcement stopped the vehicle and saw a young girl in one of the vehicle's rows, the release states.

Law enforcement asked the girl what her name was and her answer matched the name of the missing girl. The girl was taken into a Missouri State Highway Patrol vehicle and the men were arrested.