SUSPECT ARRESTED IN KIDNAPPING INVESTIGATION, FIREARM AND EVIDENCE RECOVERED

Salem Police Dept.

SALEM, Ore. — Salem Police detectives arrested a man Sunday in connection with a kidnapping investigation that began earlier in the day in southeast Salem. 

 

The incident began on the morning of December 28, 2025, when officers responded to the 2100 block of Baxter Road SE after an 18-year-old son reported his mother missing. The son stated his mother, a 36-year-old woman, had left the previous night and not returned. He later located her vehicle at a nearby park, where he found torn clothing and shoes belonging to her. 

 

The woman later contacted police and reported she had been kidnapped and held at gunpoint by a person known to her, identified as Luis Pantoja-Guzman, 39, of Salem. During the investigation, officers located vehicles and evidence that corroborated her account. 

 

Salem Patrol officers located him driving eastbound on Kuebler Boulevard and stopped the vehicle. Pantoja-Guzman was detained on a felony warrant and transported to the Salem Police Department. 

 

While at the station, Pantoja-Guzman became combative with detectives during the investigation and had to be restrained before being transported to the Marion County Jail. 

 

Detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) served search warrants on several locations in relation to the case. During the searches, investigators recovered a .380 caliber handgun, ammunition, magazines, and other evidence. 

 

Pantoja-Guzman was lodged at the Marion County Jail on multiple charges, which include: 

 

• Kidnapping in the First Degree 

• Assault in the Fourth Degree 

• Menacing 

• Coercion 

• Unlawful Use of a Weapon 

• Criminal Mischief in the First Degree 

• Hit and Run (Property) 

• Reckless Driving 

• Reckless Endangering 

• Interference with Making a Report 

 

The investigation remains ongoing. All further inquiries should be directed to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.