Houston man charged with kidnapping accused of luring 3-year-old out of apartment with cat

HOUSTON – A 50-year-old man is being charged with aggravated kidnapping after he allegedly lured a 3-year-old girl out of her apartment with a cat.

KSAT sister station KPRC reported that the girl’s parents last saw her around 11 p.m. on Saturday. It’s believed that she later escaped the family’s apartment and walked upstairs to a neighbor’s home where a gathering was taking place.

The parents told police when they woke up around 5 a.m. the next day, they discovered their front door was open and the girl was missing. They immediately called the police.

A witness who was at the gathering told investigators that she saw the child leave with a man, identified as Holman Hernandez, who was also at the gathering, according to KPRC.

According to KPRC, Hernandez’s wife allegedly called the police and said her husband claimed his car was stolen but that she also heard a little girl’s voice in the background, along with the voice of another woman.

An AMBER Alert was issued and police were able to locate Hernandez’s vehicle at a Scottish Inns and Suites off West Rankin Road in Houston, roughly one mile from the apartment complex where the girl lives.

Houston police officers knocked on the room of the motel where Hernandez was staying but he didn’t answer, according to a report from KHOU.

Officers then forced entry into the motel room and found Hernandez in his boxers in bed with the child, who was only wearing a diaper and a t-shirt.

The girl was taken to the hospital for evaluation and Hernandez was arrested after fighting with officers, ABC13 reported. He was booked into Harris County Jail.

Hernandez appeared in court Monday where his bond was set at $1 million. He is not allowed to have contact with the girl, possess a firearm, use drugs or alcohol and will only be able to travel within Harris County if he makes bail. He will also be subject to wearing an ankle monitor and surrender his passport, KPRC reported.