A Southern California man was convicted of kidnapping and raping a 6-year-old girl in a case that went cold before advancements in DNA testing led to his arrest.

Francisco Javier Lopez, 51, of Montebello, was convicted of sexually assaulting the girl after spotting her in a Santa Ana neighborhood in 2012.

On July 15, 2012, the girl was playing with a 4-year-old boy outside her home in the 1400 block of South Townsend Street.

Lopez parked his car, walked up to the girl and said, “I have something for you to give to your mother,” before grabbing her and placing her in his car, The Orange County Register reported.

He drove her to a nearby parking lot where he sexually assaulted her. About 90 minutes to two hours later, she was “dumped out of the vehicle” and abandoned near her neighborhoo

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