SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah — A 36-year-old man is being held by police after he allegedly picked up a woman in South Salt Lake who had crashed her car and raped her.
Luis Miguel Perez Cifuentes was arrested on Tuesday following a year-long investigation. His charges include rape.
According to court documents, on October 26, 2024, at around 9:29 p.m., the victim crashed her car in the area of 70 East 2240 South in South Salt Lake. Police say the victim had reportedly left her cell phone at a bar and was trying to get back to it when she crashed.
Since the victim's vehicle was inoperable, she walked away from the scene of the crash looking for help.
The victim told investigators that she got lost after getting to State Street and ended up in a neighborhood she didn't recognize. It was at this point that the victim said two men approached her in a silver sedan, offering to help her.
The victim accepted and got into the vehicle's back seat and quickly noticed that the child locks of the vehicle were active, making it impossible for her to open the door from the inside.
The men allegedly offered the victim bottled water, which she accepted, and they drove a short distance from where she was picked up.
There, the victim told detectives the driver, Cifuentes, got into the back seat and raped her.
Following the assault, the victim 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 December 26, 2025 that investigators would be notified that the DNA taken from the victim was a match for someone in the CODIS system. The match identified Luis Cifuentes.
Investigators located Cifuentes and questioned him. He told police that he didn't know the victim or have any sexual contact with her.
When investigators told them about the DNA evidence they had, Cifuentes allegedly stated that the victim 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.
