The 10-year-old boy at the center of a recent Texas Amber Alert is back safe in the United States, but police have yet to find his father, who is the suspect in his mother’s murder. This child was found unharmed in the city of Laredo and reunited with his family on Saturday, according to KXAS. State authorities discontinued the Amber Alert.
That search for the suspect, Juan Aguilar-Cano, 38, is ongoing.
Juan Aguilar-Cano murdered Zuleika Lopez-Arzate, police said. (Image: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
Police have said that the victim, Zuleika Lopez-Arzate, 48, was discovered dead at her home on Nov. 14, after no one had apparently heard from her since Nov. 10.
“It was initially reported as a welfare concern and after some investigation we found that a homicide had been committed. Immediately, our concern was for the 10-year-old boy and his safety,” Wilmer Police Chief Victor Kemp reportedly said.
Police were called after the woman’s daughter found her body. A local woman described officers emerging from the scene visibly shaken, KXAS reported.
“When she got inside she found her and that’s when she started screaming and started going crazy,” she said. “I know that the cops work in situations where they find brutal murders, and then for the cops to come outside and be crying — it’s something really horrifying that they saw.”
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Another neighbor described recognizing Aguilar-Cano from the photo. He said the suspect lived there with the family and he saw him often.
Another woman said she never saw signs of violence after knowing the family for eight years.
“We kept saying ‘well where’s the wife, where’s the kid,’ and then we get the Amber Alert and we’re like oh it’s the wife inside,” a neighbor, Marissa Gonzales, said. “They’re a good family. Everyone has their problems, but I didn’t think it would go this far.”
The son was last seen on the morning of Nov. 14 in Wilmer.
Good news surfaced when U.S. authorities caught word that the 10-year-old may have been with family in Mexico. That reportedly turned out to be the case.
Lopez-Arzate’s daughter, Zuri, released a statement about her younger brother’s return to the U.S.
“Ian was very happy to see me as I was him,” she said, according to KXAS. “I think he could tell I missed him, so he asked if I missed him and I said of course. I tried not to pry too much into what he had been up to in Mexico because I’ve been trying to just keep his mind off of his parents. However I’m aware he was staying with a grandmother and uncle in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, MX. Ian does not know what happened yet, but he will very soon. I am seeking professional help to break the news to him. I know he’s going to be beyond devastated. but now that we have our lil guy back (who was my main priority), my new sole focus is justice. This POS not only stole my mother’s life, but he also stole my brother’s innocence. I will not rest until my mom and family get the justice we so much need and deserve. I AM COMING FOR HIM. All I ask from the public is continuous prayers and support for Ian, and to not forget that this man is still at large.”
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