A Marion County jury on Thursday found Elijah Galaviz Arce guilty on five felony counts in the abduction of an 11-year-old Salem girl who was reported missing last summer. The child was found safe, and Arce is scheduled to be sentenced next Friday, April 17.
Court records show jurors convicted Arce of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree sexual abuse, attempted first-degree rape and attempted unlawful delivery of methamphetamine, according to KPTV. In a statement shared with the station, the child’s family said the verdict "brings a sense of justice" after months of fear.
How police located the child
The case began Aug. 5, 2025, when the girl’s parents reported her missing from a northeast Salem neighborhood while she had been outside, according to a City of Salem news release. Officers canvassed the area, brought in a police bloodhound and combed through neighborhood footage before locating the child in a secluded patch of shrubbery and arresting Arce, the city said.
Investigators say Arce lured the child from her yard, offered her methamphetamine and attempted to rape her, Salem Reporter reported. Marion County booking records list the five counts tied to the case and show the defendant was booked in connection with case number 25CR43807, according to county jail records.
What happens next
Arce is scheduled to be sentenced next Friday, April 17, according to KPTV. Convictions for first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree kidnapping carry heavy penalties under Oregon law, including mandatory minimum terms under Measure 11 (about 75 months for sexual abuse in the first degree and roughly 90 months for first-degree kidnapping), though judges can depart from those minimums in narrow circumstances, according to an analysis by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. A Marion County judge will set the final sentence after hearing recommendations from prosecutors and defense counsel.
