Neighbor rapes 9-year-old playing outside, then knocks on her window, Maryland cops say
A 9-year-old girl told police she ran away from her neighbor, and into her house, after she says the man raped her outside, court documents show.
Wilmer Alvarado-Gomez then followed the girl to her home, located down the street from him, in Rockville, Maryland, on Feb. 20, according to an arrest warrant provided to McClatchy News by the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He “began to knock on her window,” causing the girl to alert her mother, the arrest warrant says.
The mother then saw Alvarado-Gomez knocking, according to the arrest warrant.
Alvarado-Gomez, 37, was arrested Feb. 22 on charges of second-degree rape without consent of a child under 13 and second-degree rape of a child under 14, the Montgomery County Department of Police said in a Feb. 26 news release.
Detectives with the department’s Special Victims Investigations Division “are concerned there may be additional victims,” police said.
Attorney information for Alvarado-Gomez wasn’t immediately available.
The girl reported to police that on Feb. 20, a Thursday evening, she was allowed to play outside after she took out the trash at about 7 p.m.
While playing, Alvarado-Gomez walked over to the girl, who was familiar with him, according to the arrest warrant.
He “told her to come near a large tree that is surrounded by other trees” near her home, the arrest warrant says.
Then he asked for her phone number, according to police.
At the tree, Alvarado-Gomez held her “hard by the arms” and began sexually assaulting her, the arrest warrant says.
He exposed himself and assaulted the girl further until she ran home, according to the arrest warrant.
After authorities said the girl’s mother saw Alvarado-Gomez knocking on the girl’s window, she discovered he had sent sexual text messages to her daughter, the arrest warrant says.
The mother called police upon seeing the messages, which included Alvarado-Gomez discussing the rape and sharing several photos of “his erect penis,” according to the arrest warrant.
Alvarado-Gomez was arrested near his Rockville home two days later, police said. Rockville is about a 15-mile drive northwest from Washington, D.C.
“This is very predatory behavior … and typically sometimes there can be other victims out there,” Montgomery County police Lt. Kristina Hedgepeth told WRC.
Alvarado-Gomez is in custody without bond at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, according to authorities.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about Alvarado-Gomez and possible additional victims to contact them at 240-773-5400.
Suspected child exploitation can be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline online or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Neighbor rapes 9-year-old playing outside, then knocks on her window, Maryland cops say."
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