Police in Pasadena, Texas confirmed during a press conference on Friday the person of interest for the brutal murder of an 11-year-old girl is a Guatemalan national who illegally crossed into the United States but released by Border Patrol and Health and Human Services (HHS) because he was 17-years-old at the time.
Police say 18-year-old Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez is the person of interest in the murder of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez, who was also sexually assaulted and was stuffed into a garbage bag under a bed after she was killed. Garcia-Rodriguez had illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border into El Paso in January and turned himself in to Border Patrol. Because he was still considered a minor at 17, he was handed over to HHS, who then released him. He has since turned 18.
During the initial investigation, Garcia-Rodriguez was interviewed by police but was not considered a person of interest at that time because they did not have the DNA evidence to link him to the crime.
Pasadena police said Garcia-Rodriguez had been in the area for around three weeks before the murder. He is on the run and considered dangerous. Authorities have been unable to get in contact with his sponsor, who allegedly lives in Louisiana.
#BREAKING The person of interest in the horrific murder of an 11-year-old girl in Pasadena, Texas crossed into the U.S. and self-surrendered to El Paso in January—According to DHS sources— And is on the run.
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) August 18, 2023
Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez from Guatemala was only 17 at the time and… pic.twitter.com/zHzdgyp8kk
