A Texas man has admitted guilt in a case involving the conspiracy to kidnap a toddler, as announced by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona. Steven Andrew Holguin, aged 42 and from El Paso, Texas, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping by U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco.
The plea agreement outlines that on November 4, 2021, Birmingham Police responded to a report concerning the abduction of a three-year-old girl from her home in Birmingham. Holguin and his accomplice, Elis Salgado-Galindo, kidnapped the child with plans to take her to her father in Mexico. Salgado-Galindo took the child with Holguin’s help and left the residence. An Amber Alert was issued, and authorities along the Alabama/Mississippi border were given details about the vehicle, child, and suspects involved.
Later that evening, deputies from Rankin County Sheriff’s Department in Mississippi stopped a vehicle matching Holguin’s description. The officers instructed Holguin to exit his vehicle and subsequently removed all occupants including the toddler. A deputy identified the child from the Amber Alert and sent her photo to a Birmingham detective who confirmed her identity with the child’s mother.
Holguin had previously been convicted in 2020 for conspiracy to transport aliens in Texas federal court and served six months in prison followed by supervised release.
Salgado-Galindo was unlawfully present in the United States and was handed over to ICE custody on December 14, 2021.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations alongside several law enforcement agencies including Birmingham Police Department and Rankin County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White led the prosecution.
