Missing woman arrested

New details of a former Navasota Animal Control Officer and Navasota Police dispatcher who was reported missing June 6, have been released.

According to Grimes County booking reports, Sonia Estupiñan, 19, of Navasota was arrested Wednesday, July 6, at 8402 Cross Park Drive in Austin. Google Maps lists the address as Cross Creek Hospital, a psychiatric hospital. She was charged with making a False Report to a Peace Officer.

Threatening letter

At approximately 10 a.m. Friday, June 3, Estupiñan, who was employed as an animal control officer at the time, reported finding a threatening letter at the Navasota Animal Shelter, directed to a Navasota Police Department employee. Prior to working as an Animal Control Officer, Estupiñan was a dispatcher for Navasota Police Department.

Navasota Police Officers responded, processed the scene and developed safety measures.

Reported kidnapping

At approximately 8 a.m. June 6, Navasota Police received a call from Estupiñan claiming she was being kidnapped. Navasota Police Investigators discovered Estupiñan’s vehicle parked inside Oakland Cemetery, in the 800 block of 6th Street in Navasota.

Estupiñan was not located at the scene and investigators began missing person protocols. Several agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Grimes County Sheriff’s Office, Navasota Fire Department, Bryan Fire Department and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Game Wardens began an extensive search of the field adjacent to the cemetery.

After seven hours, Estupiñan was located in a wooded area, unresponsive and suffering from dehydration. She was taken by ambulance to Bryan St. Joseph Hospital for treatment.

Investigators reviewed evidence and released the investigation to the Grimes County District Attorney’s Office. An investigator from the Grimes County DA’s office interviewed Estupiñan, who confessed to writing the threatening letter and staging her own kidnapping.

Estupiñan was released from Grimes County Jail on a $5,000 bond. The investigation is continuing.