Alleged kidnapping attempt thwarted after victim slipped witness an SOS note at Utah gas station
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A woman is safe after narrowly avoiding an alleged kidnapping when she alerted a bystander at a Utah gas station that she was in trouble.
The Iron County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Fox 13 Utah that Epigmenio Bustillos Marquez, 53, was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly attempted to kidnap a woman, only to have his attempt stopped by the victim who slipped a note to a witness at a southern Utah gas station.
Just before 1:30 p.m. on March 8, deputies were dispatched to the Cedar Band Travel Plaza, about seven miles southwest of Cedar City, for reports of a kidnapping.
According to court documents obtained by the outlet, the witness told investigators that a woman had given her a handwritten note advising her she was in trouble and needed help.
The report stated that the witness watched the victim get into a white Chevrolet Equinox with Nevada license plates, before following the vehicle as it got onto Interstate 15 and began traveling northbound.
Deputies then conducted a traffic stop after catching the vehicle and reported the female victim, who was not identified, not behaving normally when they spoke to her and asked her to exit the vehicle.
The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Marquez, provided identification from Durango, Mexico, with a false name and date of birth.
Investigators searched Marquez's wallet and found another Mexican ID card with his actual name and date of birth. However, even after being shown the identification, Marquez continued to deny that it was his real identity, the outlet reported.
The victim told officers that she and Marquez had been in a relationship for 25 years. However, she mentioned that she noticed a recent change in Marquez's behavior and that he had been erratic, the report read.
The victim then told police she had asked Marquez to drive her to work that morning, but when he picked her up he began accusing her of cheating in the relationship.
She added that instead of taking the victim to work, Marquez allegedly threatened to take her to Salt Lake City or Denver.
Marquez allegedly threatened the victim, telling her that she would die if she tried to leave the vehicle due to the speed at which they were traveling, when she told Marquez she wanted to get out of the vehicle.
Marquez then took her phone so she couldn't call anyone and at one point struck the victim in the mouth.
According to jail records, Marquez was booked into the Iron County Correctional Facility on one first-degree felony charge of aggravated assault. He also faces misdemeanor charges of assault, providing false info, interruption of a communication device, prohibited use of an ID, and operating a vehicle without a license or permit.
Marquez has also been ordered to be held without bail, pending a pretrial hearing.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Iron County Sheriff's Office for comment.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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