FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — A married couple is charged with interfering with the custody of two minors who investigators say ran away from a group home, and the husband is charged with lewd or lascivious battery.
Delou Dorvilus and his wife Isabella Lyn Serrano were arrested after the Lee County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into a missing girl earlier this month. When the first teen came forward to report a man for sexually battering her, Fort Myers Police investigators took over the investigation.
The arrest report revealed allegations that are more serious.
The report says two 15-year-old girls ran away from their group homes and ended up at the Ross Dress for Less store at The Forum. One girl told investigators they were buying shoes when a security guard approached them and offered them a ride.
In the report, a girl said that man later offered to pay them for sex.
“That scares me to the core because I have daughters of the same age, and that is very threatening to our society,” said Trisha Fedak, a mother.
The report says Dorvilus told investigators he thought the girls were 19 or 20 and preformed “tricks” for money. He offered to help them by paying for a hotel room.
Dorvilus initially told investigators he did not have sex with the girls but later in the report admitted he had one girl perform oral sex. The report says Dorvilus and Serrano offered to allow the girls to stay in their apartment for one month while they got jobs and were able to become financially independent and took nothing in exchange.
Shoppers were surprised to find out what happened.
“I live here in the forum, and we always share all the missing kids and that type of thing. So that’s scary. My nephew’s 16,” said Lisa Robinson, who shops at The Forum. “I don’t know who the gentleman was. I’ve never seen a male officer here. Just the females were great. It’s unfortunate, though. It’s scary.”
The report says Dorvilus told investigators his brother was visiting and believes the two girls had sex with him. One of the teens told investigators in the report she was forced to have sex with the brother.
“My heart goes out to them. Like I will pray, and I will send everyone to pray for them,” Fedak said.
The teen said in the report she left Dorvilus’s home after he threatened to kill her and didn’t know if the second girl was still in the apartment. She said at one point she gave a man oral sex in exchange for $40 because she was hungry and that Dorvilus wanted her to engage in prostitution.
The report says the second girl was found in Dorvilus’s home during a search warrant.
“I just think that’s insane, and I feel terribly sorry for them…. knowing that people like our age are in such big risks in Fort Myers, and feeling like this is such a safe place, and then knowing that this is actually happening is really scary,” said Ariya, a 13-year-old who shops at The Forum with her family and friends.
Ariya said she’s always thought of Fort Myers as a safe place.
“I’m definitely probably gonna tell some of my friends that if you come here, just definitely watch out and like be safe and just stay on high alert and don’t listen to what anybody says,” she said.
Dorvilus is being held on a $300,000 bail. Fort Myers investigators told WINK News they are still investigating and cannot provide any more information.