Police in Canby, Oregon, have arrested 35-year-old Vince Edgar Chavez after finding an abducted 10-year-old girl alive inside a closet at his home.
The 10-year-old girl was found bound with tape and hidden inside a sports bag that had been placed inside a closet at the house. Oregon Live reported that the child was found safe and unharmed before emergency medical personnel transported her to a hospital for an examination.
Investigators suspect Chavez carried out the abduction on October 29 after entering an apartment where the 10-year-old girl and her 12-year-old sister were located. The intruder struck the older sister on the head with a hammer and took the younger girl with him as he fled the residence.
When officers arrived at the apartment following the attack, they found the 12-year-old girl suffering from a head injury caused by the hammer. Paramedics immediately rushed the injured child to a hospital for emergency treatment.
Neighbors later told investigators that they heard the sounds of an altercation at the time of the kidnapping. Residents described hearing commotion, heavy footsteps, and the screams of children coming from the residence.
Multi-agency search in Clackamas County
A major multi-agency search operation was launched immediately to locate the missing 10-year-old child. The girls' parents joined the search alongside detectives from the Clackamas County Major Crimes Team, officers from the Oregon State Police, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and deputies from the United States Marshals Service.
Canby is an incorporated city situated in Clackamas County, Oregon, located in the northern Willamette Valley approximately 20 miles south of Portland. Clackamas County encompasses both suburban communities outside Portland and rural regions reaching eastward to Mount Hood.
The Clackamas County Major Crimes Team operates as an interagency investigative body that brings together detectives and forensic personnel from the county sheriff's office and local municipal police departments. The specialised unit is tasked with coordinating complex investigations into homicides, child abductions, and other major violent felonies across the county.
Federal agencies frequently support municipal and county forces during high-priority missing person cases. The FBI provides forensic and technical investigative resources, while the US Marshals Service assists with tracking down fugitives and persons of interest across jurisdictional lines. Oregon Live, which reported details of the investigation, is the digital publication of The Oregonian, the largest daily newspaper in Oregon.
Arrest of suspect Vince Edgar Chavez
Search teams eventually tracked Chavez to his residence, where they discovered the abducted 10-year-old child inside. Reports confirmed she was found safe and unharmed despite being tied with tape and confined inside the sports bag in the closet.
When law enforcement officers approached the property, Chavez attempted to escape through a back door. Officers stopped the 35-year-old man as he tried to flee and placed him under arrest.
