Terror and Survival: The Shocking Story of Erinn Orcutt, Victim of a Brutal Kidnapping by Corrupt Police Officers

The Beginning of the Nightmare

Erinn Orcutt was a young single mother living in Ontario, California, spending much of her time working. At the time, she worked as a bartender at a restaurant from Tuesday to Sunday. On an April Saturday in 2010, Erinn left her job early due to slow business. As she headed towards the parking lot in search of her car, a man approached her and ordered her to get into the car.

Initially, she thought it was some kind of joke by one of her coworkers until she realized the man was armed. Erinn considered screaming for help, but the parking lot was empty, and it wouldn’t help. Fearing the situation, she simply obeyed and got into the car.

Upon closer inspection, Erinn noticed that the kidnapper had a companion. Behind him, another man observed the situation and seemed to be enjoying it. Erinn sat in the driver’s seat; the armed kidnapper sat next to her and instructed her to drive without specifying the destination, while the second man stayed behind.

The Attempt to Seek Help Since

Erinn grew up in the area, she knew places where there might be police presence. She took a route she thought could lead to help, but to her despair, there were no patrol cars around. Meanwhile, Erinn started talking to the man, pleading for him to let her go. She offered to give him her car and promised not to report to the police, but the kidnapper had different intentions.

A few minutes later, the man instructed Erinn to park near a restaurant, a busy area with many businesses nearby. She didn’t think anything serious would happen there. However, people passing by couldn’t see what was happening inside the car due to its tinted windows.

The Cruel Violence

Upon stopping the car, the kidnapper ordered her to move to the back seat with him. He sat on her son’s car seat and forced her to undress. Erinn cried and begged him to let her go, but he insisted it wouldn’t happen. Growing more agitated by her tears, he pointed the gun at Erinn’s head and commanded her to stop crying.

Erinn complied, and he took out his phone, taking nude photos of her and sending them to someone. Afterward, he attempted to sexually assault her for several minutes but couldn’t due to erectile problems. Frustrated, he started repeatedly hitting her with punches and slaps. At one point, the man answered a call on his phone, talking to the man who was with him during the kidnapping and had stayed behind in the parking lot. Erinn realized that he was sending the nude photos to this man. They spoke on the phone briefly, mocking the situation and laughing. After hanging up, the kidnapper ordered Erinn to put on her clothes, stating they would go to the desert and finish the situation for good.

The Desperate Escape

At that moment, Erinn was sure she needed to get out of there as quickly as possible, fearing something even worse could happen to her. While dressing, she noticed the kidnapper’s gun had fallen under the passenger seat. Since the man was sitting on the side where Erinn usually placed her son for car rides, the door had a lock that could only be opened from the outside. This lock was absent on the driver’s side, where Erinn was. Fortunately, the kidnapper’s phone rang again, and as he answered, Erinn opened the car door and ran, screaming for help toward the convenience stores. Desperate, the man tried to escape with Erinn’s car but failed as the vehicle had a security lock preventing it from starting. In his haste, he fled on foot, leaving his gun in the car with his name engraved on it and his glasses.

The Shocking Discovery

When the police arrived at the scene, the most striking detail was the engraved name on the gun, a common practice among police officers. Upon checking, they found that the weapon belonged to a police officer named Anthony Orban.

Anthony was found in a parking lot helping his colleague Jeffrey Jelinek, a corrections officer, search for his truck. When questioned, Anthony claimed that his gun had disappeared days earlier, and he hadn’t reported it to the authorities yet. However, detectives didn’t believe this, especially since both men, Anthony and his friend Jeffrey, matched the description Erinn had given the police about the criminals. Both were then taken to the police station.

Erinn was called to identify them, and she confirmed that these were the two men. She later mentioned that when she discovered her attackers were police officers, she thought her case would be covered up, and she wouldn’t get justice. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

The Testimonies of the Police Kidnappers

Both police officers were taken into custody, and during interrogations, they claimed not to remember anything that happened that day. Anthony said he had consumed many margaritas during his lunch and also took medication for depression, which he blamed for his forgetfulness. This same medication had a side effect of sexual impotence, explaining why he couldn’t complete the sexual violence against Erinn.

In Jeffrey’s testimony, after a long time claiming not to remember the incident, he asked the detective if he would like to see the photos on his phone. Jeffrey’s gallery was filled with pictures that Orban had sent of Erinn inside the car without clothes.

Despite being exposed by Jeffrey, Anthony still insisted he didn’t remember anything. While not denying committing the crimes, he claimed innocence, attributing his actions to alcohol and medication effects.

The apologies and the victim role were not the only things that angered Erinn and the investigators, but also the fact that Officer Anthony was responsible for investigating sexual crimes in his unit.

Threats and Attempts to Silence

When everything seemed to be resolved, Erinn started receiving strange calls and began to suspect she was being followed. She wasn’t sure if it was related to the case, but indications suggested so, as Anthony’s recorded calls from prison included statements like “everything would be easier if the victim were no longer among them.” From that point on, the police placed Erinn in the victim protection program, and she only heard about Anthony during his trial.

The Trial and Anthony’s Unexpected Suicide

Two and a half years after the crime, Erinn received a call informing her that Anthony had been tried and found guilty on eight criminal charges, including kidnapping, rape, and sexual assault. Jeffrey agreed to testify against Anthony in court in exchange for a lesser sentence of only 5 years.

In the call, Erinn was also informed that she could attend the sentencing hearing of her assailant. However, on the day of the hearing, she received another call notifying her that Anthony had been found dead in his cell after taking his own life. Despite this, Erinn insisted on attending the court to make her statement, as she needed closure for that chapter of her life.

Erinn’s Resilience

In her statement, Erinn spoke as if addressing Anthony, expressing her deep disappointment with what she had to endure. After going through all the hardships, she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, and depression. Despite these challenges, she decided to rise above and not act solely as a victim, taking control of her life again. She also mentioned that, despite everything, she forgave Anthony for what he did.

On that day, the judge revealed that if Anthony hadn’t taken his own life, his sentence would have been 82 years