A charred body found inside a car Thursday is believed to be that of a Florida woman who was abducted at gunpoint from her car in a brazen daylight attack, police said.
Investigators believe they found Katherine Altagracia Guerrero de Aguasbias, 31, inside a burning SUV in a rural area south of Orlando in Seminole County, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said. He said this at a press conference on Friday.
The body and car were so badly damaged that authorities could not confirm that it was Guerrero de Aguasbias, but Lema said the circumstances were too consistent with this bizarre kidnapping and that another He stressed that it cannot be assumed that the victim has been found.
“This is a tragic incident. It’s a horrible, horrible situation,” Lema said.
The horrific kidnapping was caught on camera by another driver who happened to park behind Guerrero de Aguasbias and by a green Acura that followed her for at least 8 million meters.
The car slammed into the back of Guerrero de Aguasbias’ Dodge Durango several times, leaving the woman, who was more than three hours away from her home in south Florida, frightened and called her husband for help, police said.
Guerrero de Aguasbias’ husband told her not to stop, but moments later she found herself stuck at a traffic light.
The video shows a man wearing a Halloween mask running out of the green car toward Guerrero de Aguasbias’ driver’s side window.
The man then stuck a gun through the window and got into her back seat.
According to police, Guerrero de Aguasbias’ car then left the intersection, heading for certain death, under the direction of his captors.
“I think the places they told her to go to were places they had been to before. They seemed very familiar with the area there. This was a random ‘drive off the road. I don’t think it’s something like, ‘Stop it.'” Rema said.
Police found the SUV on fire at a construction site just 27 miles from where Guerrero de Aguasbias was abducted.
Lema said more than a dozen shell casings were scattered at the scene, matching the 10mm handgun wielded by Guerrero de Aguasbias’ kidnapper.
Police insist the attack was targeted, but are confused about the motive, with Lemma saying there are “a lot of unknowns”.
First, police don’t understand why neither Guerrero de Aguasbias nor her husband called 911.
Both men immigrated to the United States five years ago from the Dominican Republic and are partnering with two businesses in South Florida: a barber shop and a beauty salon.
“Neither Catherine nor her husband have any criminal history in the United States. There is no clear indicator why someone would do something like this or why they would be targeted,” Lema said.
Guerrero de Aguasbias’ husband allegedly told investigators that his late wife was traveling to central Florida to visit family, but that he could not provide her name or contact information.
Police were also unable to trace the family who lived in the area.
Lema did not say whether he considered Guerrero de Aguasbias’ husband a suspect, but called on the public to focus on the two people involved in the woman’s kidnapping and murder.
“Obviously they should be considered armed and dangerous. Please contact authorities rather than confronting them yourself,” Lema said.
