Authorities are looking for a teen who lived in the identical house constructing as an 11-year-old Texas lady after her physique was discovered beneath her mattress final week, police introduced on Friday.
Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez, 18, has been recognized as an individual of curiosity within the killing of the lady, Maria Gonzalez. The chief of the Pasadena police, Josh Bruegger, mentioned at a press convention that investigators found a key inside Gonzalez’s house and realized that it opened Garcia-Rodriguez’s unit.
Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez, by way of the Pasadena Police Division.
“This key has since been processed by our crime scene investigators and was not discovered to open any doorways on the sufferer’s residence.” Pasadena police mentioned in an announcement.
Gonzalez was discovered lifeless Saturday. Her father, Carmelo Gonzalez, known as police to report that he’d found her physique, which was wrapped inside a rubbish bag and stuffed in a laundry basket.
Carmelo Gonzalez advised officers that his daughter texted him shortly after he left for work, saying a stranger was knocking on the entrance door. Involved that the lady quickly stopped responding, the daddy requested relations to test on her on the house, however theywere unable to find her.
“I advised her don’t open the door as a result of I’m arriving at work, and she or he responded I’m in my mattress,” Carmelo Gonzalez advised Houston’s Fox 26.
When the daddy returned, he discovered the 11-year-old lifeless however no signal of compelled entry on the house.
Health workers decided that the lady had been strangled, and that she’d been sexually assaulted earlier than dying.
Bruegger mentioned police interviewed neighbors on the house constructing Saturday. Amongst them was Garcia-Rodriguez, from whom police additionally collected a DNA pattern.
Authorities mentioned Garcia-Rodriguez had been dwelling within the house constructing for 3 to 4 weeks however moved out Monday. Histwo roommates, who didn’t know the 18-year-old properly, advised officers that Garcia-Rodriguez mentioned he was leaving to search out work some place else, however didn’t flip over his key earlier than shifting out.
Initially from Guatemala, Garcia-Rodriguez was final seen on the house advanced Monday. His present whereabouts are unknown.
No arrest has been made within the case.
Need assistance? Go to RAINN’s Nationwide Sexual Assault On-line Hotline or the Nationwide Sexual Violence Useful resource Middle’s web site.