‘Ghost’ migrant admits to knifepoint rape and kidnapping of Louisiana girl, 13

An undocumented immigrant police likened to a “ghost” admitted to kidnapping and raping a teenage girl at knifepoint near New Orleans.

Diego Rodriguez-Salvador, 23, was arrested Sept. 4 for allegedly luring a 13-year-old girl into his car before driving her to his home in Kenner, La. and raping her.

Rodriguez-Salvador, an illegal migrant from Honduras, allegedly asked his friend’s teenage sister to take a ride to a nearby store with him. She accepted the ride, but when the girl noticed they were headed in the wrong direction, Rodriguez-Salvador pulled a knife, assaulted her, then dropped her off in her own neighborhood before speeding away into the night, the Kenner Police Department said.

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After the alleged crime was reported around 7:45 p.m., Rodriguez-Salvador led police on a brief manhunt until officers found a white 2013 Nissan Altima linked to the suspect. Police said “phone contact was made” with the suspect and he agreed to surrender himself before being taken into custody.

Cops said Rodriguez-Salvador has admitted to the crime, local station WDSU reported.

Kenner police Chief Keith Conley described him as “a ghost,” saying that very little was known about him besides the fact that he was from Honduras and in the country illegally, the outlet reported. It was not known when he entered the US.

“Diego has undocumented status in the United States and detectives are working closely with Homeland Security Investigations to obtain any additional information that could assist in his identification or apprehension,” the Kenner Police Department said in a statement.

Rodriguez-Salvador is charged with second-degree kidnapping and second degree rape of a juvenile victim.