A man was arrested on Tuesday for raping and impregnating a 10-year-old Ohio girl who underwent an abortion in Indiana.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Gershon Fuentes, 27, confessed to raping the girl on two instances. The victim’s mother reportedly contacted Franklin County Children Services on June 22, roughly a week before the 10-year-old girl underwent a legal abortion in Indiana — as Ohio outlaws the procedure after six weeks.
During Wednesday’s court hearing, investigator Jeffrey Huhn said the DNA of the aborted fetus is being tested against Fuentes and the victim’s siblings to confirm paternity. However, the victim allegedly identified Fuentes as the man who impregnated her.
Citing court records, the Daily Beast reported that one of the sexual assaults occurred on May 12. Police got involved after learning of the 10-year-old’s pregnancy via a referral the girl’s mother filed with child services on June 12.
Prior to Wednesday’s court hearing, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis-based obstetrician-gynecologist, told the Indianapolis Star about a 10-year-old girl from Ohio who was six weeks and three days pregnant. Bernard said she learned of the situation from a child abuse doctor in Ohio who treated the girl.
It is unconfirmed whether the girl mentioned in the Indianapolis Star story is the same one at the center of the rape case. However, the publication noted that the timeline Bernard provided coincides with the case in Indiana.
Fuentes is charged with rape and remains jailed on a $2 million bond. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed to the Daily Beast that he is currently on a detainer as he is a Guatemalan national who is in the country illegally.
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[Featured image:Gershon Fuentes/Franklin County Sheriff’s Office]
