The father of the baby girl who was abandoned in the back of a livery cab two years ago was finally caught yesterday, and charged with statutory rape of the mother of the tot. The mother was just 14-years-old when she had the baby, Daniella Perez.
Carlos Cardenas, 29, had been on the run from police for the past two years, hiding out in Indiana, Maryland and Puerto Rico while avoiding the outstanding rape charges. In late February 2008, then six-month-old Baby Daniella was found in the back of taxi driver Klever Saliema's cab, seemingly abandoned, and taken to a firehouse by Saliema, who was briefly treated as a hero.
It was soon discovered that Saliema (who was accused of rape in another case in 2009, and sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison) had been in cahoots with Cardenas, who was dating his sister at the time, to get rid of the child because the 14-year-old mother had left him alone to care for her. Cardenas initially agreed to surrender to police, but had been on the lam since. Police found him in Washington Heights, living under the name Fabiano Castillo. Baby Daniella has since been put into the foster care system.
