13-Year-Old Girl Was Told 'Nobody Would Ever Find Her' - So She Pulled Out Her Own Hair After Assault To Leave DNA Evidence: Cops

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

A young girl thought quickly after realizing how much danger a much older man put her in… And now he’s behind bars.

Last month, a 13-year-old girl (whose name is being kept private) started getting messages on TikTok from a 19-year-old named Angel Lopez. After chatting back and forth for multiple days, he invited her to his Pennsylvania apartment and arranged for an Uber to pick her up from her Greenburg home — on the condition she leave behind a note informing her family she ran away and not to look for her. JFC.

Unfortunately she ignored that red flag, as well as others. Detective Sergeant Justin Scalzo told WTAE:

“He did not want her to take any electronic devices with her to Philly. In one text message, he stated, ‘I want you to leave no trace behind.’”

Terrifying…

The 13-year-old did end up going — but still brought her phone with her. But upon her arrival, Lopez almost immediately began making sexual advances toward the girl, even in the elevator on the way to his apartment, according to a criminal complaint. And once they got into his place, he instructed her to turn off her phone and offered her his marijuana pen. And, cops say, that’s when he sexually assaulted her. Afterwards, he “told the victim to shower to wash his DNA off of her,” according to prosecutors.

Terrified of the situation, the child then informed Lopez she wanted to leave, but he gave the most intimidating response. Scalzo shared:

“He had mentioned to her that nobody would ever find her, and that was concerning.”

It was at that point the girl knew she needed to think fast to be able to ensure some sort of link between her and Lopez for investigators if he did try to disappear her. Scalzo explained:

“That actually prompted the victim in this case to pull out strands of her hair and try to leave them around the apartment saying that later if nobody found her, maybe they could at least find her DNA.”

Luckily, the teen managed to escape. Apparently “she heard someone outside in the hallway and believed it was her means of getting to safety,” according to the District Attorney. By that point, she’d already been reported missing. When she got to safety, police pinged her cellphone and were able to reunite her with her family.

After the girl told investigators about what she had suffered, Lopez was arrested and “exorbitant number of messages exchanged between the victim and the defendant” were discovered, “including graphic videos.”

So sickening. That poor young girl. But a smart one. In addition to the electronic trail, prosecutors have DNA evidence now.

Lopez was hit with several charges, including kidnapping, sexual abuse of a minor, and trafficking. He appeared in court this week for a preliminary hearing, but is expected back on May 14. We hope to see justice served then.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.

[Images via Westmoreland County District Attorney Office]