Nationwide search for man accused of assaulting 4-year-old

AURORA - Police are asking for help in finding a man who they believe sexually assaulted a 4-year-old girl earlier this month.

There is a nationwide arrest warrant out for 20-year-old Daniel Hernandez-Ramos.

The sexual assault happened on Sunday, Aug. 9 around 9:30 p.m. outside the Wentworth Apartments, which is located near East Alameda Avenue and South Lansing Street.

Aurora Police say the 4-year-old girl went out to the parking lot alone to get something out of her family's car and investigators say that's when Hernandez-Ramos snatched her, took her away to a nearby area and sexually assaulted her.

Police say when several minutes passed and the girl did not return from the parking lot, the girl's mother went looking for her. She found her daughter, and realized the girl had been sexually assaulted. The mother did not see the attacker, but immediately called police.

"He took advantage of the fact that, here's a 4-year-old, defenseless, little girl on her own in a parking lot and it sickens us to see this kind of thing happen," Det. Bob Friel with Aurora Police said.

After officers arrived, the 4-year-old girl was taken to the hospital. Detectives then canvassed the area and discovered Hernandez-Ramos was staying with some people who live at the same apartment complex. Detectives were able to obtain two pictures of the suspect from the people who live in that unit.

Investigators say it appeared Hernandez-Ramos left the apartment in a hurry, as some of his belongings were still there.

While police have his name and pictures, they are having difficulty locating him because he has been staying at several locations in the metro area and has no permanent address.

They say he is a native of Honduras and suspect he is in the country illegally.

Investigators are working with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to determine his immigration status.

Hernandez-Ramos is described as Hispanic, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 150 pounds. He has a slim build and short hair.

Police say the distinguishing feature is a tattoo on his arm, described as a heart with flames. The name "Daniel" is on or adjacent to the heart. It's not clear which arm has the tattoo.

"They need to put him away for life. I have a little girl. [If] that happened to my little girl I swear I'd kill him. I mean every parent feels like that," Ashley Gatten, a neighbor, said. "I can't get through my head why people do that, and how can you do that to a little girl?"

Hernandez-Ramos faces charges of sexual assault on a child and child abuse - serious bodily injury.

"There's always the possibility that if he is on the loose, that he would commit this crime again. And that is the reason that it's so important that we catch up to him as quickly as possible," Friel said.

If you have any information about him, you're asked to call Aurora Police at 303-627-3100, or you can remain anonymous and call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).