A man with sharpened teeth allegedly imprisoned a pregnant woman over the course of three weeks, according to reports.
36-year-old Michael Barajas is accused of subjecting the 20-year-old young woman to unimaginable depravities, and the sheriff whose team captured the suspect called the story “horrifying.”
The incident began when Barajas spotted the pregnant victim, who had been kicked out of her house around Thanksgiving, and began grooming her.
“Grooming is part of this whole process. It started [with] identifying someone who is vulnerable. It started by identifying what the need was. They filled the need and that’s when they trap them in,” said Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.
Barajas, who was charged in 2018 with first-degree home invasion, used the promise of warmth, food, and a tidy place to spend the night to entice the victim back to his shabby home. The victim expected hospitality but instead found herself chained to a bed in a locked room.
The suspect also told the victim “that if she didn’t do everything that he told her to do, that he would bite her neck and rip out her throat,” as well as inviting people over to exploit her.
“This guy used the opportunity to not only sexually assault but have people come over and traffic her as she was tied forcibly to the bed while they assaulted her,” Swanson explained.
The victim tried to flee numerous times. She was shot at and dragged back by her captors the first two times. The third time, the woman apparently experienced a “medical emergency” related to her pregnancy that required hospitalization.
Nurses at Hurley Medical Center recognized that the victim had been abused and contacted the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team on Dec. 8. GHOST raided Barajas’ residence and arrested him later that day.
“This guy is a monster,” said Swanson. “If you look at the teeth that are filed down and the threats of ripping out a throat, I will say no more.”
Barajas has been charged with human trafficking, kidnapping, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, possession of methamphetamine, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, and felony possession of a firearm.
