A 15-year-old reported missing from Burke County on October 11 has been located near Mount Jackson, Virginia, and two men are now facing charges in connection with the case. The Burke County Sheriff's Office says the teen was found along Interstate 81 in Shenandoah County at approximately 10:30 p.m. Monday, October 12, with the suspects also taken into custody in the same Virginia county.
According to the Burke County Sheriff's Office, the agency's Criminal Investigations Division was assigned to the case on October 12, one day after the juvenile was reported missing. Investigators later requested assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as the search expanded, according to whky.com. The outlet reports that 23-year-old Brayan Alexis Vazquez-Hernandez was charged with felony kidnapping, while 34-year-old Guillermo Alfonso Valenzuela Saldan was charged with accessory after the fact.
Both men were taken into custody in Shenandoah County, Virginia, the same jurisdiction where the teen was found, and remain there awaiting extradition back to Burke County, per the same report. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not released further details about how the teen ended up in Virginia or the exact circumstances surrounding the arrests.
Booking Photos Still Pending
Mugshots of the two suspects were not immediately available, as reported by wsoctv.com. The station's report does not provide any additional detail on bond, court dates, or legal representation for either man at this time.
Under North Carolina law, kidnapping committed under certain conditions is classified as kidnapping in the first degree, a Class C felony, according to the statute published by the North Carolina General Assembly. The state's separate accessory-after-the-fact statute establishes that a person who helps conceal or assist a felony suspect after the fact is guilty of a crime, though the excerpt available does not detail the specific punishment that would apply in this case.
Investigation Remains Open
Burke County deputies have not released the juvenile's identity or detailed circumstances surrounding the alleged kidnapping, and the exact timeline of the arrests beyond the Shenandoah County custody has not been disclosed. It is also not yet confirmed whether extradition of the two men to Burke County has been completed.
The case remains under active investigation, and additional information may be released as it becomes available and as appropriate. For now, investigators have requested assistance from the FBI.
