by F. Scott Faulkner
September 26, 2026 – Santa Barbara County, CA
A sexual assault case was solved 18 months following the incident, thanks to DNA evidence.
On March 27, 2025 a 14-year-old girls walking on a bike path near her home was the
victim of an alleged kidnapping and rape perpetrated by a knife-wielding attacker.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer
Raquel Zick, the assailant threatened the girl during the attack, telling her, “If you
scream, I will kill you.”
SBSD detectives collected forensic evidence from the crime and submitted it for DNA analysis.
Investigators continued pursuing leads as the case remained open for nearly 18 months.
The forensic findings, combined with additional investigation eventually established probable cause to arrest Saul Estrada Munoz, 27, of Santa Barbara, at which point detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Munoz.
Munoz was taken into custody Sept. 21 after emerging from a Santa Barbara apartment.
He was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was booked on felony
charges of kidnapping to commit rape, forcible rape, witness intimidation, use of a
weapon during a sex offense, and two counts of making criminal threats with intent to
terrorize.
Munoz remains in custody on a no-bail hold.
