ALBERTVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office provided more details after they found a formerly reported missing 13-year-old from Albertville last week.
On April 30, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office said Dayetssi Carrasquillo Pizarro, a formerly reported missing girl from Albertville, was found safe in Arizona with a 32-year-old man, Raul Alexis Arellano-Romero. They were both then placed in the custody of the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office and are said to be transported back to Alabama.
Below is Romero’s mugshot, obtained by News 19 from the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office.
The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office announced that around 5:37 a.m. on April 30, a Major Crimes Apprehension Team Detective stopped a vehicle traveling eastbound on I-40 near North Sun Valley Road for a civil traffic violation.
During the stop, the detective made contact with the driver, identified as Arellano-Romero, from New Mexico. NCSO said that while the detective was talking with Arellano-Romero, he saw someone trying to hide under a blanket in the vehicle’s front passenger seat.
When asked about this, Arellano-Romero said the passenger was a 19-year-old friend he recently met in Las Vegas and was taking her back to New Mexico.
The detective said he noticed inconsistencies in Arellano-Romero’s statements, that he looked nervous, and that he had signs of “deceptive behavior.”
NCSO said the reported 19-year-old gave a false identity and age. The sheriff’s office also said it looked like she had fake tattoos on her body, possibly to alter or conceal her real identity.
Upon further questioning, NCSO said the female disclosed her true name and age, revealing she was a 13-year-old child reported missing from Alabama. Detectives then contacted law enforcement authorities in Alabama, who confirmed that she had been missing since April 19.
The sheriff’s office said further investigation revealed that Arellano-Romero had previously been arrested in Massachusetts in 2024 for unlawfully removing the same child from her guardians’ custody. He was released on bond later that year.
News 19’s sister station, WWLP in Massachusetts, said that the investigation revealed that Arellano-Romero left his home in Alabama and drove to Springfield after talking with the girl online. Springfield police say that it is believed that they had previously met in Alabama, where the girl’s primary residence was.
Authorities believe that Arellano-Romero traveled from New Mexico to Alabama and again took the 13-year-old without lawful custody or consent.
Arellano-Romero was arrested and booked into the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Jail on a warrant with a $100,000 bond. He is currently awaiting extradition to Alabama and detectives from Navajo County are working with detectives from Marshall County, Alabama, to determine whether additional charges will be filed in Arizona once the investigation is complete.
“This case is a strong reminder of how proactive policing can change the course of a young life,” Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse said. “Thanks to the attentiveness of our deputies and detectives, a missing child was recovered safely, and a dangerous individual was taken off the streets. We remain committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities, no matter where they come from.”
Arellano-Romero is still being held in the Navajo County jail and is awaiting extradition to Alabama. News 19 has had contact with the sheriff’s office there, which said the 13-year-old was “in the protective care and custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety.”