Cover photo: Hector Gabriel-Jimenez (Photo: Collier County Sheriff's Office)

Update: The arrest warrant for Roberto Lopez was recalled Oct. 24, 2019, and he was cleared, Collier County Sheriff's office confirmed. Upon investigation, the Sheriff’s deputies later arrested Hector Gabriel-Jimenez, 23, who was identified as the child's father, on one charge of child neglect for failing to protect the toddler after an acquaintance allegedly raped her. Here is the link to the update.

A man in Florida who was charged with the sexual battery of a 12-year-old girl is now being hunted down by the police for the rape of a 2-year-old baby. Roberto Lopez, 40, a laborer from Immokalee inflicted severe injuries on the baby who is said to be in a critical condition. Lopez has a history of various violent offenses besides many other minor offenses such as driving without a license. He has also time and again escaped being detected because of the numerous aliases that he usually uses. Some of these include Rigoberto Lopez Velasquez; Marco Velasquez; Mario Velasquez; Marcos Vasquez Perez; Marcos Velasquez; and Rigoberto Lopez to name just a few, reports the Miami Herald. It is also not exactly known how Lopez is related to the child, if at all, and how he came in contact with the little girl.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said Lopez left the baby bleeding on the bathroom floor after he raped her. They have already issued a warrant for Lopez's arrest as on Wednesday. The matter came to the notice of authorities when the girl’s father and his friend brought her to the Community Medical Care Center in Immokalee on Monday morning. They said she had fallen. However, the doctors found some grave injuries for which the men had no explanation.

According to a case report, the doctor called the Sheriff’s office due to an "injury located in her vaginal area". A detective assigned to the case wrote, "(The child) was upset and was continuously crying due to her injury." Thereafter, the girl's father and his friend named Juan Velasquez were also questioned. A witness came forward the next day and identified Lopez in a photo lineup and told detectives that she heard crying coming from a bathroom the day she saw Lopez.

The witness also revealed that she had heard a noise between 5 to 6 am on Monday and woke up because of it. The case report stated, "She knocked on the bathroom door and a male subject opened the door and left the residence. (The witness) observed the man to have blood on him and observed blood on the floor of the bathroom as well. She also observed a little girl inside the bathroom with blood on the child as well.” She added that she had never seen Lopez before. Meanwhile, the toddler was handed over to the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Sheriff’s office said.

According to a report in Daily Mail, Lopez had been arrested by the police before over the past 16 years on various charges such as driving under the influence multiple times, fraud, battery, and domestic violence. The police have asked the public to inform them of any information that would lead to Lopez. A "be on the lookout" notice has also been issued by the Sheriff's office. Lopez who is 5 foot 7 inches is known to frequent bars in the North 2nd and Azteca area. His last known address was the Tower Rentals in Immokalee.

People can call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-252-9300. The Sheriff's office even labeled Lopez as an "animal" in a now-deleted Facebook post. "This guy is pure evil and does not need to be on our street," Sheriff Kevin Rambosk had written on the office's social media page.