A 5-year-old girl was found safe in Mexico and her father was arrested nearly three weeks after an Amber Alert was issued for her disappearance from the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The suspect, 40-year-old Ruben Fregoso, was taken into custody over the weekend in Mexico, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Authorities allege he fled across the border after killing his 36-year-old girlfriend and abducting their 5-year-old child.
The video above is from a previous report.
The child, who is a United States citizen, was found safe upon Fregoso’s arrest and is in the custody of Mexican officials, LAPD said. In the coming days, officials at the United States Embassy will begin returning the girl to her family. Additionally, the extradition process will begin for Fregoso, who is charged with murder in the death of Marysol Garcia.
SEE ALSO: Vigil held for slain West Adams mother as her 5-year-old daughter remains missing
Fregoso is facing one count of murder and one misdemeanor count of child abuse under circumstances or conditions other than great bodily injury or death, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced last month.
“The killing of a mother and the abduction of a young child is the kind of violence that shocks the entire community,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. “I cannot imagine the grief and fear that the innocent child faced as she was allegedly snatched after her mother was killed. The defendant will face his day in court, and our Family Violence Division will pursue every available resource and work with federal and Mexican law enforcement authorities to seek justice for the woman whose life was stolen and for the child caught in this tragedy.”
Fregoso and his daughter were last seen Sunday morning, May 24, near Alsace Avenue and Ferndale Street. An Amber Alert was issued for the missing girl the following day.
Garcia, the child’s mother, was found dead inside her West Adams home on Monday, May 25, after police were called to conduct a welfare check. Investigators say the woman “died as a result of violence.”
Not long after the Amber Alert was issued, Fregoso’s vehicle was found near the U.S.-Mexico border, but there were no signs of the father and daughter, according to police.
If convicted as charged, Fregoso faces 25 years to life in state prison.
