Texas Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Alabama Kidnapping
By Dale Hines
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
September 20, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. A Texas man arrested for conspiring to kidnap a toddler has been sentenced to federal prison.
Officials with the United States Department of Justice say on Nov. 4, 2021, according to a plea agreement, a Birmingham Police Officer went to a residence after a 3-year-old was kidnapped from a home.
An investigation by Birmingham police and the FBI, revealed that 42-year-old Steven Andrew Holguin, of El Paso, Texas, and his co-conspirator, Elis Salgado-Galindo, kidnapped the toddler with the intent of taking her to her father who lived in Honduras.
With help from Holguin, authorities say Salgado, Galindo took the toddler and left the residence before police could arrive.
An Amber Alert was issued along the Alabama/Mississippi border which provided the description of the vehicle, toddler, and suspects.
On the evening of the kidnapping, officials say deputies with the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department in Mississippi conducted a stop of a vehicle matching the description of the one that they were given.
Officials say the deputies instructed Holguin, the driver of the vehicle, to exit the car while they then removed other people from the vehicle, including the toddler. A deputy recognized the toddler and sent a picture of her to the Birmingham Police Department who then showed the picture of the toddler to the mother who confirmed that it was her daughter.
Authorities say both men were immediately taken into custody, and the toddler was safely returned to her mother.
Salgado-Galindo, who is a citizen of Mexico, was charged in federal court in Dec. 2023 with conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Authorities say in Dec. of 2021, he was released from state custody on a bond, placed into ICE custody, and deported. Officials say a federal warrant for his arrest remains outstanding.
Officials say Holguin was previously convicted for conspiracy to transport aliens in 2020 and was sentenced to six months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.
In April of 2025, officials say Holguin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, authorities stated that Holguin was sentenced to 17.5 years (210 months) in prison followed by a life term of supervised release.
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