Police: Woman kidnapped from Santa Cruz store, robbed and raped
By JENNIFER SQUIRES - Sentinel Staff Writer
Article Launched: 06/06/2008 06:32:03 PM PDT


SANTA CRUZ - Police are looking for two men who kidnapped a woman at gunpoint Thursday afternoon, robbed and sexually assaulted her, then held her overnight.
The 35-year-old Santa Cruz woman called police at noon Friday, just after the two men blindfolded her and drove her in her vehicle to the intersection of highways 1 and 9, where they fled on foot.

The two men have not been identified or arrested, police said.

"This is exceptionally unique because there were multiple felonies committed," police spokesman Zach Friend said. He called it "one of the most horrific crimes we've had here recently."

The woman's ordeal began around 1 p.m. Wednesday when she was shopping at Ross Dress for Less on River Street, police said. She told officers an older man had been following her in the store for a while, then he approached her and pressed what she believed was a gun to
her side, police said.

She left the store with him and they were met in the parking lot by a second, older man, according to police. They forced her into her vehicle and made her drive them to the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union on Front Street, where one of the men walked into the credit union with her. He made her withdraw a substantial sum of money and give it to them, police said.

The men told the woman to drive back to the store parking lot where they held her in the vehicle for several hours, police reported.

As it was getting dark, the men forced the woman to drive them around the county and eventually to a home that might have been in the San Lorenzo Valley, police said.

There, the younger man raped her, police said.

Investigators think the sexual assault occurred at least 10 to 12 hours after she was kidnapped from the store.

They kept the woman in one room of the home overnight. She believed the men had a gun, though she did not see a weapon, police said.

In the morning, the men blindfolded the woman and drove her back to Santa Cruz. They left her in her vehicle and ran away, according to police.

When officers reached her just after noon, the woman was "exceptionally traumatized" and had not eaten in 24 hours, Friend said.

She was taken to the hospital and underwent a rape examination Friday. Investigators hope to speak with her again after she receives medical treatment and gets a chance to eat, Friend said.

"There are definitely a lot of holes that we have to fill in on the investigation," he said.

Police said they've confirmed much of the woman's story by reviewing surveillance videos from the store and the credit union. Forensic experts from the state Department of Justice will search her vehicle for DNA and other evidence. Also, officers are culling through the sex offender registry for possible suspects.

"We have investigators looking to see if there's anyone who's committed similar crimes," said Friend, who was hesitant to say there was an imminent threat to other women. "At this point it appears isolated but we don't want to jump to any conclusions."

The men, who spoke mostly in Spanish, were both Latino.

One was in his mid-50s to mid-80s, about 5 feet, 2 inches tall, slightly heavy-set and missing his front teeth, according to police. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt.

The second man, who the woman said raped her, was in his mid-40s and about 5 feet, 5 inches to 5 feet, 8 inches tall. He was heavy-set with dark hair; his skin was darker than the older man. He was wearing a white T-shirt and a black hat, police reported.

Police asked anyone with information to call the Investigations Unit at 420-5820 or the anonymous tip line at 420-5995.

Contact Jennifer Squires at 429-2449 or jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com.