SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah — A man was taken into custody after police claimed he picked up and raped a woman who had crashed her car and needed help in South Salt Lake.
Luis Miguel Perez Cifuentes was arrested on multiple charges Tuesday, including Rape, following a year-long investigation into the incident.
According to court documents, the incident occurred on the evening of October 26, 2024, after the victim crashed her car near 70 East 2240 South. Police said the victim had left her cell phone at a bar and was trying to return when she crashed he car.
As the woman's vehicle was inoperable, she walked away from the scene of the crash and looked for help.
The woman said she got lost after at State Street and ended up in a neighborhood she didn't recognize. While in the area, two men drove up in a sedan and offered to help the woman. After the woman accepted the offer for help, she got into the back seat of the sedan and noticed that the child locks had been activated, making it impossible for her to open the door from the inside.
The men allegedly offered the woman a bottle of water, which she accepted, and the group drove a short distance from where the victim had been picked up. The woman told detectives that the driver, identified as Cifuentes, got into the back seat and raped her.
Following the alleged assault, the woman walked to a nearby convenience store, where someone ordered a ride home for her.
The next day, the victim went to a hospital to undergo a sexual assault exam, where DNA was collected. It wasn't until last month that investigators were notified that the DNA matched Cifuentes.
When questioned by investigators, Cifuentes claimed he didn't know the victim or have any sexual contact with her. After being told about the DNA evidence, Cifuentes allegedly stated that the woman did stop him while he was out doing deliveries, but that their encounter was consensual.
Cifuentes is being held without bail as police claim he has kids in Venezuela and would be a flight risk.
