What do we know about Gerson Fuentes, suspect in rape of 10-year-old?
Gerson Fuentes, the man accused of raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl, remains in the Franklin County jail in lieu of a $2 million bond.
After news of his arrest broke Wednesday, questions swirled around who this man was and how he came to the attention of police.
The case involving the 10-year-old girl has drawn international attention following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and send the abortion debate back to the states.
What we know about Gerson Fuentes
Court records show Fuentes is 27 years old and his last known address was at an apartment on Columbus' Northwest Side. He was arrested by Columbus police on Tuesday and remains in the Franklin County jail.
During Fuentes' initial court appearance on Wednesday, attorney Clark Torbett from the Franklin County Public Defender's office said Fuentes had lived in the country for about seven years and had other family who lived in the area.
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Torbett said Fuentes worked at a café in the city.
The Dispatch was not immediately able to confirm the country from which Fuentes arrived in the United States.
Fuentes is not believed to be biologically related to the 10-year-old girl but did have a relationship with her family.
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Columbus police detective Jeffrey Huhn testified during Wednesday's hearing that law enforcement does not believe that Fuentes is in the country legally. Huhn also testified that there was confusion about whether Gerson Fuentes was Fuentes' actual name.
Because of the lack of information about Fuentes' identity, police do not know whether he has any prior criminal history.
Where the investigation stands
The investigation is ongoing. Huhn testified and court records confirm that detectives obtained a DNA sample from Fuentes to compare against genetic material obtained from the clinic in Indianapolis that performed the abortion.
Huhn testified that the 10-year-old had identified Fuentes as the person who raped her, during an interview on July 6, which led police to obtain the search warrant for his DNA. Fuentes also confessed to sexually assaulting the girl on at least two occasions, Huhn testified.
Fuentes could be indicted by a Franklin County grand jury as early as next week.
What we still don't know
It is still not known exactly how Franklin County Children Services became aware of the 10-year-old's pregnancy.
Huhn testified that Columbus police received a referral from FCCS on June 22 and that the referral included information from the child's mother.
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The initial police report regarding the disclosure is not available because it came from a mandated reporter and involved allegations of child abuse, which are exceptions to Ohio's public records law.
It also is unknown how Fuentes came to be in the country and in Columbus.
A representative for Franklin County Children Services declined to specify to The Dispatch whether the agency is aware of any complaints against Fuentes, citing sections of the Ohio Revised Code making information obtained by child welfare agencies confidential and not subject to public disclosure.
Dispatch reporter Eric Lagatta contributed to this report.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What do we know about Gerson Fuentes, suspect in rape of 10-year-old?
