BOWLING GREEN, OH (WTOL) - A nationwide manhunt is underway for three men who allegedly raped and kidnapped two teenagers in Bowling Green.
Bowling Green Police say four men are accused of sexually assaulting and holding 13- and 14-year-old sisters against their will on June 28 at the Days Inn off Wooster Street. One man is in custody.
Police say that the girls got away from their captors at the Days Inn, which is where the men also were staying. Their mother and stepfather rushed the girls to Wood County Hospital to be examined, and that's when emergency room personnel contacted the Bowling Green Police Division.
Search warrants were served at the Days Inn and based on evidence uncovered, they were able to identify four suspects in the alleged attack.
Simon Juan Thomas, 24, of Guatemala, has been arrested and charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and is being held on $50,000 bond, with 100 percent required. His three alleged accomplices are on the loose and Bowling Green Police believe they left the Bowling Green area.
Nationwide warrants are out for the arrest of David Ramos Contreras, Arnulfo Ramos and Juan Adiel.
Complicating the investigation is that the men are not U.S. citizens and police say they all had fake ID cards and documentation. Police are asking the public to take a look at their pictures, as they are not 100 percent certain these are the men’s legal names.
Contreras, 27, is reported to be from Mexico. Police say Adiel had a U.S. Permanent Resident ID card out of Fellsmere, Florida, with a listed date of birth as Sept. 13, 1998, but the card was later determined to be fake.
The men were in the area working; two worked as dry wallers and one worked at Greenline Foods on Dixie Highway. They were said to be staying at the same Days Inn on Wooster as the mother and girls.
Nationwide arrest warrants have been issued for the three men on two counts of kidnapping and rape.
Bowling Green police personnel say it's personally been a tough case for investigators -- but one they are determined to see through to the end.
"You know, these are 13 and 14 year old girls and they are your daughters so it's very difficult and as officers we need to stay objective to investigate the case. However, a lot of us have children," said BGPD Maj. Justin White.
Anyone with information, including the whereabouts of the three suspects, should contact either:
- The Bowling Green Police Division - 419-352-1131
- Wood County CrimeStoppers - 1-800-54-CRIME
- Your local law enforcement agency
Callers can remain anonymous and could receive a reward of up to $1,000 if your information results in the arrest and conviction of a suspect.
Copyright 2018 WTOL. All rights reserved.
