ALBERTVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office provided more details after they found a formerly reported missing 13-year-old from Albertville last week.
On April 30, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office said Dayetssi Carrasquillo Pizarro, a formerly missing 13-year-old from Albertville, was found safe in Arizona with a man, Raul Alexis Arellano-Romero. They were both then placed in the custody of the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office and are said to be transported back to Alabama.
The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office announced that around 5:37 a.m. on April 30, a Major Crimes Apprehension Team Detective stopped a vehicle traveling eastbound on I-40 near North Sun Valley Road for a civil traffic violation.
During the stop, the detective made contact with the driver, identified as Arellano-Romero, a 32-year-old man from New Mexico. NCSO said that while the detective was talking with Arellano-Romero, he saw someone trying to hide under a blanket in the vehicle’s front passenger seat.
When asked about this, Arellano-Romero said the passenger was a 19-year-old friend he recently met in Las Vegas and was taking her back to New Mexico.
The detective said he noticed inconsistencies in Arellano-Romero’s statements, that he looked nervous, and that he had signs of “deceptive behavior.”
NCSO said the reported 19-year-old gave a false identity and age. The sheriff’s office also said it looked like she had fake tattoos on her body, possibly to alter or conceal her real identity.
Upon further questioning, NCSO said the female disclosed her true name and age, revealing she was a 13-year-old juvenile reported missing from Alabama. Detectives then contacted law enforcement authorities in Alabama, who confirmed that she had been missing since April 19.
The sheriff’s office said further investigation revealed that Arellano-Romero had previously been arrested in Massachusetts in 2024 for unlawfully removing the same juvenile from her guardians’ custody. He was released on bond later that year. News 19’s sister station, WWLP in Massachusetts, has more reporting on that incident.
Authorities believe that Arellano-Romero traveled from New Mexico to Alabama and again took the 13-year-old without lawful custody or consent.
Arellano-Romero was arrested and booked into the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Jail on an outstanding nationwide extraditable warrant with a $100,000 bond. He is currently awaiting extradition to Alabama and detectives from Navajo County are working with detectives from Marshall County, Alabama, to determine whether additional charges will be filed in Arizona once the investigation is complete.
“This case is a strong reminder of how proactive policing can change the course of a young life,” Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse said. “Thanks to the attentiveness of our deputies and detectives, a missing child was recovered safely, and a dangerous individual was taken off the streets. We remain committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities, no matter where they come from.”
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