Jury selection began Monday for a Houston man accused of luring a 3-year-old girl into his vehicle and taking her to a motel.
Holman Hernandez, 50, is charged with aggravated kidnapping in a case that drew widespread attention in 2022 when police said the child was found hours later in a motel room wearing only a diaper and a t-shirt.
Hernandez was seen at a neighbor’s apartment gathering in north Houston before allegedly taking the toddler with him.
What happened:
According to Houston police, the child was last seen around 11 p.m. at a gathering in the 12800 block of Northborough Drive. Family members said the toddler walked upstairs to a neighbor’s apartment, where people had gathered. When the child’s parents woke up around 5 a.m., they realized their daughter was missing and the front door was open.
Officers responded to the scene and began questioning residents. A witness told police they saw the child leave with a man, who had been at the gathering. That man was later identified as Holman Hernandez.
Investigators also said surveillance footage from the apartment complex showed Hernandez calling to the child and luring her into his car with a cat.
According to authorities, Hernandez’s wife called police after he phoned her claiming his car had been stolen. During the call, she told investigators she heard a child’s voice and another woman in the background.
Police later found Hernandez’s vehicle parked outside Scottish Inns and Suites off West Rankin Road. Inside a motel room, officers said they found Hernandez and the missing child, where he was wearing only a pair of boxers, and the toddler was wearing a diaper and a t-shirt.
Hernandez was charged with aggravated kidnapping and booked into the Harris County Jail with a $1 million bond.