Police officers in Argentina are on the hunt Tuesday for a relative who was seen staring into a surveillance camera after allegedly sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in her bedroom.
The man, identified by The Daily Mail and local media as Leandro Sebastian Martinez, has had a warrant out for his arrest since late January. The victim’s parents – in a bid to catch him in the act – reportedly set up security cameras in her bedroom at the family’s Buenos Aires home.
“When we saw that the videos proved what our daughter told us was true, we went crazy,” the girl’s father, Pablo, was quoted as telling local media.
The 41-year-old relative is the husband of one of the father’s cousins.
Argentine news outlets report the family became suspicious of him after the girl sent a WhatsApp message to a friend claiming he touched her buttocks and genitals.
Footage taken from inside the bedroom at a later date purportedly captured the 41-year-old allegedly assaulting the girl, according to Infobae. She reportedly invited him into the home while a family reunion was taking place next door.
After the alleged act, the girl reportedly told him: “Did you notice that my parents installed security cameras?”
He then grabbed the girl around her neck and fled – and has not been seen since, according to reports.
“My daughter was a flower girl at his wedding,” her mother, Patricia – who was also identified as Daniela in local media – was quoted as telling local media. “We look after our children but our worst enemy was there half a meter from us.'”
