Tennessee man charged with statutory rape of WDM teen reported missing over the weekend

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tennessee — A Tennessee man is facing multiple rape charges after deputies say he took a 13-year-old West Des Moines teen to Tennessee over the weekend.

On Tuesday, the West Des Moines Police Department announced that a 13-year-old girl who had been reported missing over the weekend had been found in Jefferson County, Tennessee, and that it was likely she wasn’t alone during the journey.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies were notified of the missing teen possibly being in the area on Monday, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. In response, deputies went to two different locations to try and find the teen. While searching, a 911 caller reported that a female had shown up at a home on Fielden Store Road and said she had been kidnapped. When deputies arrived at the scene, they located the female and identified her as the missing teen. According to the West Des Moines Police Department, the teen has been reunited with her family in Iowa.

As the investigation unfolded, investigators learned that Martin Amaya Sandoval Jr., 37, of New Market, Tennessee, had allegedly been communicating with the victim on social media. According to the sheriff’s office, Sandoval drove 13 hours from Tennessee to West Des Moines, picked up the victim, and then drove her back to Jefferson County. The sheriff’s office said that while in Tennessee, Sandoval sexually abused the victim.

Sandoval is now being charged with four counts of aggravated statutory rape in Jefferson County. The sheriff’s office said charges against Sandoval are expected to be filed in West Des Moines in the coming days.

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