US Marshals arrest fugitive wanted for kidnapping, raping 13-year-old

January 25, 2019 5:57 pm

By Jordan Mazza

PROVIDENCE, RI (WLNE) — A year–and–a–half manhunt for a suspected kidnapper and child molester has come to an end.

U.S. Marshals arrested 31–year–old Gabriel Garcia–Solis in Ohio.

He was wanted by Providence police for the alleged 2017 kidnapping, molestation, and rape of a 13–year–old girl in Rhode Island.

“This is a case that always stays on the back of your mind,” said Maj. David Lapatin of the Providence Police. “We’re very interested in making sure this guy is apprehended.”

Police say the suspect fled Rhode Island with the victim, dropped her off in South Carolina, and continued to flee.

“There were a lot of leads that were empty,” Lapatin said. “And we worked hard to locate him and to track him.”

But just this week the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task force located him in Wadsworth, Ohio.

Lapatin says Garcia-Solis was employed and had been living in Ohio for about a year.

“That life is over now,” Lapatin said.

U.S. Marshals in Northern Ohio arrested him Thursday night.

“They have nothing to do but find criminals,” Lapatin said. “And that’s what they do, and they’re good at it. And I would say thank God they found this guy, because who knows what else he’s capable of?”

Garcia-Solis is in custody and expected in court in the next few days.