Prosecutors say the 35-year-old Oregon City man faces 10 felony charges following the abduction of a Canby child and an attack on her older sister.
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A day after officers rescued a 10-year-old Canby girl from an Oregon City home, the man accused of abducting her appeared in court and was ordered held without bail. Vince Edgar Chavez, 35, was arraigned Thursday, October 29, on charges that include attempted murder, kidnapping and sexual abuse, KGW reported from the court proceedings. Both the child and her 12-year-old sister have needed medical care following Wednesday’s attack.
The court appearance brought new allegations about what happened after the younger girl was taken from her family’s apartment. Prosecutors say officers discovered her inside a duffel bag in a closet, restrained with duct tape. She was taken for medical treatment and evaluation after the rescue.
Police tape surrounds an Oregon City residence where authorities recovered the abducted Canby girl. Photo: KGW.
A search that ended in Oregon City
The investigation began early Wednesday at the Orchards Apartments in southeast Canby. Authorities say a man entered an apartment, attacked the 12-year-old girl and abducted her younger sister. KATU’s reporting on the investigation says police placed the initial incident at about 1:40 a.m.
Canby police brought in investigators from several agencies, including the Clackamas County Major Crimes Team, Oregon State Police, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service. Surveillance video showing a white minivan leaving the apartment complex became part of the investigation, according to a police statement described by KGW. Authorities have not publicly laid out every step that led them to the Oregon City residence.
Officers went to the home on Pleasant Avenue Wednesday afternoon. Police say the child was located upstairs, while Chavez tried to escape through a second-story window. Members of the U.S. Marshals task force arrested him.
What prosecutors alleged in court
Chavez is accused of striking the older sister with a hammer before taking the younger child. Prosecutors also allege that he sexually abused the 10-year-old during the time she was missing. Those allegations are now part of the criminal case; they have not been proved at trial.
KGW reports that the 10 felony counts include first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary, first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree assault. The remaining counts are two charges of unlawful use of a weapon and two charges of first-degree sodomy.
Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey S. Jones granted prosecutors’ request to keep Chavez in custody without bail while they seek preventive detention, according to KGW. The district attorney’s office requested a hearing on that issue by November 5.
The sisters’ conditions and unanswered questions
The older girl remained hospitalized Thursday, and authorities had not released a detailed update on her condition in the latest reports. The younger child also received medical care after officers found her. Her rescue ended the search that had prompted widespread concern across Canby and beyond.
Investigators are still examining any connection between Chavez and the family. Prosecutors said there may have been a connection, but they were not prepared to describe the attack as targeted, KGW reported. A motive has not been publicly established.
That Oregon Life previously covered the initial search in Canby. Chavez is presumed innocent unless and until proved guilty.
