Missing girl’s appearance had been altered with fake tattoos; suspect told deputy she was 19 years old

HOLBROOK, Ariz. — A 13-year-old girl who went missing from Marshall County and who was located in Arizona had her appearance altered with fake tattoos and was found with a phony ID, investigators said.

The details were released after Dayetssi Carrasquillo Pizarro was safely recovered during a traffic stop that led to the arrest of a 32-year-old man who had previously been detained for taking the same child from her guardians.

Dayetssi had been missing since April 19, when she was last seen walking her dog near the 6900 block of Martling Road in Albertville. She was found Wednesday, unharmed, in Holbrook, Ariz.

According to the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office, the discovery came during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 40 near North Sun Valley Road. Deputies noticed a person hiding under a blanket in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by Raul Alexis Arellano-Romero, 32, of New Mexico.

Authorities said Arellano-Romero claimed his passenger was a 19-year-old woman he had befriended in Las Vegas and was taking to New Mexico. However, deputies “noted inconsistencies in Arellano-Romero’s statements and observed signs of nervous and deceptive behavior,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigators found the girl’s appearance had been altered with fake tattoos and she possessed a fraudulent ID. Upon questioning, she revealed her true identity as the missing Alabama teen.

Further investigation revealed that Arellano-Romero had been previously arrested in Massachusetts in 2024 for unlawfully removing the same child from her guardians’ custody.

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office had obtained a warrant for Arellano-Romero’s arrest and had asked the FBI to assist in the investigation. Just 30 minutes after the FBI was contacted, the Marshall County authorities received word that Arellano-Romero had been detained in Arizona.

Arellano-Romero is facing charges of interference with custody, a felony, and is being held on a $100,000 bond. Additional charges are expected, according to authorities. He is awaiting extradition to Alabama.

The teen will also be returned to Marshall County.

RELATED: Missing Albertville teen found safe; person of interest detained in Arizona