Suspect charged with torture in kidnapping, rape of 9-year-old girl from Farmington Hills

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Farmington Hills Police are holding a press conference Friday afternoon shortly after a suspect in the kidnapping and rape of a 9-year-old girl will be formally charged in the case.

The suspect, Aaron McDonald, was arraigned on charges including abduction, criminal sexual conduct, strangulation, and torture. Prosecutor Karen McDonald (no relation to the suspect) said the victim likely would not have survived had she not escaped when she did.

Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King discussed the charges against the suspect and released more details about the investigation Friday. He was joined by Detroit Police Chief James White and other law enforcement from the Detroit Police Department.

King said the Farmington Hills Police, Detroit Police, and the FBI worked together to arrest the suspect.

According to police, McDonald lured the 9-year-old girl into his 2016 Jeep Renegade before driving to a parking lot between the abduction and location where the girl was later found.

In that parking lot, King said he tried to sexually assault the girl in the car but she fought back. That's when King said he abducted her, sexually assaulted her, and then strangled and bound her before she was able to escape.

As police investigated and secured probable cause for his arrest, King said they monitored McDonald's activities to ensure he wouldn't harm anyone else. He was arrested Thursday.

At least 20 search warrants have been done related to the case including McDonald's home in Oak Park, the home where the girl escaped at 8 Mile and Berg, and the suspect's vehicle.

King credited the efforts from the multiple police departments for arresting McDonald.

"There is no way to wrap our minds around this horrific crime," King said. "The Farmington Hills and Detroit communities deserve this kind of exceptional police response and investigation."

McDonald, 40, has two adult children and a third child on the way. His defense attorney said that his fiance is due to deliver the baby this month. He spent 13 years in prison and was paroled in May on two prior criminal sexual conduct convictions.

Aaron McDonald, 40, has been charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, strangulation, and torture after police said he picked up and kidnapping a 9-year-old girl and raping her.

McDonald was ordered held without bond due to his criminal past and he was ordered to not have any contact with the victim.

During the arraignment, it was revealed that the suspect and the victim were complete strangers and they were not connected in any way.

Police announced on Thursday that they had arrested McDonald but provided no other details.

Also on Thursday, the FBI raided a house in Detroit where the sexual assault took place on the city's west side. Further details about the raid were not released by police or the FBI.

Farmington Hills and Detroit police have been investigating the incident. The girl had left her home near 8 Mile and Middlebelt in Farmington Hills around 4 p.m. Sunday and walked to Grand River and 8 Mile, where a male in a Jeep asked if she needed help.

She was taken to a home near Eight Mile and Berg where she was assaulted. She was found a few blocks away wearing only a blanket.