ICE confirms suspects accused of kidnapping, torturing Seattle-area woman are illegal immigrants with alleged ties to Tren de Aragua

Kevin Daniel Sanabria-Ojeda, 24, and Alexander Moises Arnaez-Gutierrez, 25, both citizens of Venezuela, have been booked into King County Jail on charges of robbery, kidnapping, and attempted murder. The defendants have been accused of kidnapping a woman, 58, outside of her apartment complex in Burien, Washington, a city located just south of Seattle, on January 21. The victim was allegedly robbed and tortured before being driven to a mountain pass 90 miles away, where she was shot and left for dead in the snow, according to charging documents. The victim miraculously survived the attempted murder.

ICE spokesperson David Yost told The Post Millennial in a statement on Thursday that the agency has lodged two immigration detainers with the King County Jail in Seattle. He said that both suspects are citizens of Venezuela who have "alleged ties to the notorious Tren de Aragua gang."

"Kevin Sanabria-Ojeda, 24, is a citizen of Venezuela previously arrested and released by the Seattle Police Department for domestic violence assault on May 14, 2024," said Yost. "Alexander Arnaez-Gutierrez, 35, is a citizen of Venezuela previously convicted by Clark County District Court of DUI, receiving a sentence of 364 days in jail. When Arnaez failed to appear at immigration court, an immigration judge ordered him removed on June 5, 2023."

Court records show that Sanabria-Ojeda and Arnaez-Gutierrez obtained Washington state driver's licenses. Additionally, authorities discovered a Social Security card belonging to Sanabria-Ojeda during a search of his vehicle, as well as another Social Security card belonging to an individual identified as "Charlie Manzano," according to court filings. It's unclear how Sanabria-Ojeda obtained the card without being a US citizen. Authorities have not revealed if the card is authentic.

There is also a third male suspect in the case that authorities are actively searching for, per court documents. Law enforcement has not disclosed the third suspect's identity. Court documents suggest he goes by the name "Daniel."

The attempted killing

On January 21, 2025, the 58-year-old victim arrived at her apartment complex in Burien, Washington, around 10 pm and noticed three Hispanic males hanging out in the parking lot. Two of them were standing near the entrance to her apartment, while the other male was sitting in the driver's seat of a vehicle. As she walked to her apartment, the two men standing outside approached the victim and allegedly said they "had been waiting for her." One of them had a gun and told the victim he knew she lived alone, as well as what time she would be home, according to charging documents.

The two men grabbed the victim and attempted to force her into the vehicle. She yelled for help and fought back, but no one came to her rescue. As she fought, one of the suspects shot at her and missed. The victim later identified the shooter to authorities as Kevin Daniel Sanabria-Ojeda. The suspects then forced the victim into the back seat of the vehicle and made her lie on the floorboard, kicking her head several times, per court documents.

While inside the vehicle, the suspects used a power drill to drill into the victim's right hand to get her to provide the PIN for her credit cards/bank cards. They also took the woman's purse with approximately $20,000 worth of gold, her credit cards, jewelry, and her vehicle and apartment keys. The suspects threatened to kill the victim and her family if she reported the incident, according to charging documents.

The victim was driven to a mountain pass roughly 90 miles east of Seattle in Kittitas County. The suspects stopped along I-90 and took the woman out of the vehicle. She told authorities that the suspects said she "heard too much and wanted her dead." After they threw her over a retaining wall, the victim was allegedly shot by Sanabria-Ojeda, who reportedly thought he had struck her in the head but hit her shoulder. The victim said she decided to play dead, which resulted in the suspects leaving the scene. The woman then flagged down a motorist for help. Kittitas County detectives found "a large amount of blood present in the snow."

According to charging documents, the victim told authorities that one of the suspects, who went by the name "Charlie," was the ringleader of the group.

On January 30, Sanabria-Ojeda was arrested by the FBI in Chicago, Illinois. Detectives with the King County and Kittitas County Sheriff's Departments traveled to Chicago to interview Sanabria-Ojeda. He reportedly confessed to the crime. During the interview, Sanabria-Ojeda said that he "participated in the kidnapping, vehicle theft, robbery, and killing of the 'lady,'" per charging documents. He told authorities that he traveled from Oregon to Washington with a man identified as "Daniel," who lived at a house in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where Sanabria-Ojeda had once resided.

After arriving in Washington, the pair picked up another subject by the name of "Alexander" from the Rainier area of Seattle. Sanabria-Ojeda claimed he did not know Alexander and that he was an associate of Daniel's, per court documents. Prior to leaving Oregon, Daniel informed Sanabria-Ojeda that he "had business in Seattle and that he had a plan to make money." Once in Seattle, Daniel explained that he had been watching a lady for a couple of months, who was later determined to be the victim.

On April 8, Alexander Arnaez-Gutierrez was arrested by the Mercer Island Police Department during a traffic stop. Mercer Island is located just east of Seattle.

Sanabria-Ojeda and Arnaez-Gutierrez are both being held in jail on $1 million bail. They are scheduled to appear in court later this month.

Members of the public can report immigration-related crimes or suspicious activity by calling (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.