Child Sexually Assaulted in Her Bedroom by Intruder as Parents Slept: Cops

A 35-year-old man was arrested this week after he allegedly snuck into a California home and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl for hours in her bedroom as her parents slept in another room, threatening to kill the child if she made noise, according to local police.

Marcos Maldonado was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child, the Culver City Police Department (CCPD) confirmed to Newsweek in an email on Saturday.

Maldonado was identified as the suspect through DNA evidence and arrested on the Interstate 5 Freeway after leaving a downtown Los Angeles hotel and boarding a bus heading toward Bakersfield, California.

CCPD spokesperson Jennifer Atenza told Newsweek that Maldonado was staying in a downtown Los Angeles hotel before the arrest and that detectives have not determined what his primary residence is.

Maldonado's arrest comes more than a month after CCPD officers received a report of a sexual assault and break-in at a residence in the Blair Hills community of Culver City, California, which is about 10 miles west of Los Angeles, according to the department.

Around 7:45 a.m. on December 2, 2023, CCPD officers were called to the home where they spoke with the victim, a 12-year-old girl, and her parents who said that a man, later identified as Maldonado, entered the home and "committed a sexual assault" on the girl before leaving the residence on foot hours later, police said in an online statement.

Culver City police officers immediately searched the area for witnesses and additional evidence and recovered video showing the suspect leaving the area. Despite the video evidence, Maldonado managed to evade authorities until Thursday, police said.

"From the day that this crime occurred, detectives have worked tirelessly to identify and locate the involved suspect," CCPD said in a statement on Friday announcing his arrest.

Investigators determined Maldonado had entered the home through an unlocked balcony door sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. and assaulted the victim in her bedroom before leaving around 7 a.m., using the front door.

The 12-year-old girl's parents told local station KTLA that their daughter woke them up that morning and immediately told them they needed to call 911, the victim's mother, Alexis, who was only identified by her first name to protect the family's privacy, said in an interview with the station.

"She came to wake me up and just straight out said, 'Mom, I need to call the police,'" Alexis said.

The parents also told the station that Maldonado told their daughter that there was "a shooter at her window" and threatened that she would be killed if she screamed.

"The safe neighborhoods apparently aren't that safe either," the mother said. "So, get together, talk to your kids, have that communication and know your neighbors and know your neighborhood because we think we were watched."

Barry, the girl's father, agreed, saying he believed the suspect was watching the family before sneaking into the home as the family slept to attack his daughter.

"We believe he got in through the balcony at the back of the house, through the grandparent's bedroom," Barry said. "The door was left unlocked, and we believe that it was the middle of the night and he must've snuck in."

Atenza said there is no current evidence showing that there were any prior connections between the victim and the suspect. She also said that as of Saturday the CCPD has not received any reports of additional crimes of this nature in the Culver City area but said the department is "collaborating with other law enforcement agencies to identify any additional victims."

"We are encouraging the public to contact the Culver City Police Department immediately if they have any information regarding additional crimes that this suspect may be connected to," she told Newsweek. "We are thankful to the Culver City community for the continued support of the dedicated men and women of the Culver City Police Department who have worked tirelessly to solve this case. We are now focused on the pursuit of justice for the victim through the successful prosecution of this suspect."

Atenza told Newsweek that she could not provide any additional details "due to the extremely sensitive nature of this crime." She said that the investigation is ongoing.

Maldonado is being held in CCPD jail on a $1.25 million bond. He's scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment on Monday.