SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 26, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — The Salt Lake County District Attorney has charged four people after an alleged child kidnapping that put an 18-month-old girl at risk.
Charges have been filed against the child’s mother, Holly Angelina Smith, 32; and three men described by Salt Lake City Police as her family members: Jose Francisco Robles-Prieto, 47, and Eric and Joey Jimenez, ages 37 and 41.
The incident took place on Friday, Feb. 21, after Smith had been ordered by court officials to turn over the toddler to the state custody of the Department of Child and Family Services.
When officials arrived, Smith and her toddler “were not there,” says a news release issued by the DA’s Office. A person whose residence was listed on the DCFS safety plan “said that Smith was seen getting into a vehicle earlier in the day with Joey Jimenez and Eric Jimenez.”
The witness “provided text messages between herself and Joey Jimenez in which he asked (the witness) for money to get Eric Jimenez, Smith, and (the toddler) a room to hide out at. (The witness) notified Joey Jimenez of police involvement and encouraged him to surrender the baby.
“Police spoke with Eric Jimenez, who reported that he had not seen Smith or (the toddler) and had nothing to say. Eric Jimenez was taken into custody for obstructing the investigation.”
The DA’s news release says police then spoke with Joey Jimenez, who said he took Smith and the toddler “to another location near 1300 South at the Jordan River Trail. Joey Jimenez provided access to his phone, which showed multiple text messages and phone calls about where to hide (the toddler) and Smith.”
“Joey Jimenez was taken into custody for impeding the investigation; after, he told police he dropped off Smith and (the toddler) near 1700 South and the Jordan River Trail, and he provided a phone number for Smith. Police activated an exigency ping.”
Post-Miranda, Joey Jimenez told police he took care of (the child) while Smith was at her hearing and that after, he was told … that Smith ‘just took off from the courthouse.’ Smith called Eric Jimenez and asked him to pick her up at a location on North Temple.
The release says Joey and Eric picked up Smith and the child. “Joey Jimenez took Smith to a store near 800 South and 900 West, Smith then asked him to take her to 1700 South. When they arrived at the location, Smith got out of the vehicle, grabbed (the toddler) and left.”
During the search, police spoke with the landlords of Jose Robles-Prieto (the toddler’s biological father), and were waiting for the landlords to arrive at one of their vacant residences when they were told by a witness that “he could see Robles-Prieto and Smith walking east on 1300 South from Redwood Road, and Smith had a blanket over her head. While driving north on Redwood Road, an officer observed two individuals — one was wrapped in a white blanket and the other was pushing a shopping cart.”
Questioned by officers, “Robles-Prieto identified himself, but the woman identified herself as Emily Marie Sullivan. When police asked Robles-Prieto the woman’s name, he said he barely knew her. Police were able to determine from tattoos that she was Smith. As Smith was being handcuffed, she told police, ‘She’s right there, she’s in there,’ while nodding towards the shopping cart.”
Robles-Prieto said he invited Smith and (the toddler) to stay with him “until they figured out their next steps,” the release said. They placed the toddler “in a shopping cart as they made their way back to his home.”
The child was recovered safe and was taken into state custody.
Charges filed by the office of Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill are:
For Smith:
- Child kidnapping, a first-degree felony
- Child abuse, a class A misdemeanor
- Providing a peace officer false information, a class C misdemeanor
For Robles-Prieto:
- Child kidnapping, a first-degree felony
- Obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony
For Eric Jimenez:
- Child kidnapping, a first-degree felony
- Obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony
For Joey Jimenez:
- Kidnapping, a first-degree felony
“We appreciate the people in our community who helped police get the information they needed to help find this baby and take her to safety,” Gill said in the released statement.
“The vigilance of every citizen during an AMBER Alert can help save a child’s life,” he said, adding that all persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
