Authorities discover body after Florida woman kidnapped at gunpoint; she called her husband to tell him she was being followed

Authorities believe they have found the body of a woman whose kidnapping at gunpoint in central Florida was caught on camera, moments after she called her husband to tell him she was being followed.

Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, 31, was stopped at a red light in Seminole County on Thursday when a gunman forced her into her white Dodge Durango.

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said the gunman was wearing a black hood and a “mask type mask” and was carrying what appeared to be an automatic rifle.

Authorities believe the gunman got out of a green Acura that was behind De Aguasvivas’ car, Lemma said at a news conference on Friday.

Cell phone footage captured by a witness in another car showed the gunman pointing a weapon at the driver’s side of De Aguasvivas’ car and then getting into the back seat.

When the light turned green, De Aguasvivas made a U-turn and the Acura followed.

“He’s making a U-turn at that intersection, probably heading towards, rumors here, but he’s probably heading in the direction the suspect doesn’t want them to go and we suspect that he’s ordering him to turn around again and approach the intersection again,” the sheriff told reporters.

De Aguasvivas then started driving towards a new construction authority area that they believe the suspects were familiar with. About an hour and 45 minutes after the incident in the video, deputies were called to the area for a report of a car on fire.

Lemma said there was so much damage to the car that “you couldn’t recognize the car.” A body was inside that authorities believe to be De Aguasvivas, he said, noting that DNA and dental records are needed to confirm the victim’s identity.

Twelve gun casings were also found at the scene.

It is not known when the Acura started following De Aguasvivas, but Lemma told reporters that it was not a random incident and the suspects “knew exactly who they were following.”

“We are still regrouping to try to explain the intentions,” he said.

Before the kidnapping, De Aguasvivas had called her husband to tell him that someone had hit the back of her car and was following her, the sheriff said. The husband allegedly told her not to stop anywhere, but neither of them called 911, Lemma said.

“There are a lot of unknowns, a lot of things that will leave people scratching their heads,” he said. “Why didn’t she and her husband call 911? I don’t know. Why did she stop at a red light? There’s a lot we’ll never know, but this is a tragic event.”

Investigators believe De Aguasvivas, of Homestead in Miami-Dade County, left South Florida shortly after Thursday and arrived in Seminole County around 3:30 p.m. He stopped at a Shell gas station before continuing on his way. , the sheriff said.

Her husband said he was in central Florida visiting family, according to Lemma. The sheriff said the husband did not give the names of the family members and the law enforcement agencies do not know any relatives living in the area.

De Aguasvivas and her husband are associated with two businesses, a barber shop and a salon. The sheriff said none of them have a criminal history in the United States.

“There is no clear indication why someone would do this, why they would target them,” he said.

Detectives are still looking for the Acura and asked anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s office.