Girl escapes from 12 years of captivity after being 'kidnapped by bus driver at age seven'

Carlos Humberto Grisales Higuita, a school bus driver in Medellin, Colombia, is accused of kidnapping a girl when she was seven and sexually abusing her over a 12 year period

A school bus driver has been arrested after allegedly kidnapping and sexually abusing a girl for 12 years.

Carlos Humberto Grisales Higuita is accused of using his job to take the girl in 2012, when she was just seven, and then keeping her hidden at properties in Medellin and Bello, in Colombia.

State prosecutors said that Grisales Higuita “manipulated her psychologically and sexually abused her, making her think this behaviour was normal”.

During the period when she was kidnapped, the girl could not be traced by her family and she did not go to school, it is claimed. It was only when she was 16 that she reportedly confronted Grisales Higuita and managed to escape from him in February this year.

The alleged abuser was arrested in Medellin this week and faces charges that include the rape of a minor and producing child pornography. He has denied the charges after appearing in court this week and is being held in custody.

A statement from the prosecutor’s office read: “The man, who worked as a school bus driver, allegedly detained a 7-year-old girl in early 2012 and took her to a house in the city centre. He allegedly psychologically manipulated and sexually assaulted her, making her believe that such behaviour was normal.

"During the course of the investigation, it was established that the victim's name was changed, she was transferred to different buildings in Medellín and Bello (Antioquia), she was taken out of school and unable to communicate with people.

"When she turned 16, she complained to the alleged aggressor about the treatment she received, and in retaliation she was allegedly locked up in a house, from which she managed to escape in February of this year. Grisales Higuita was arrested by the National Police in Medellin. During the preliminary hearings he did not accept the charges brought by the Prosecutor's Office.”

Cases of child sex abuse in Medellin and the Antioquia region, sometimes involving foreign tourists, have caused indignation across the country. Preliminary figures for January to August this year show 1,176 alleged cases of alleged sexual abuse against minors.