Man arrested after kidnapping in Texas, double murder in New Mexico

A man has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of a 10-month-old girl in New Mexico as authorities try to determine what led to the deaths of the girl’s mother and another woman, as well as her sister’s injuries.

Alek Isaiah Collins, a 26-year-old from Houston, Texas, was taken into custody Friday in connection with the deaths of two women, an injured child and the kidnapping of a 10-month-old girl, he told Deputy Chief Trevor Thorn of the police department Clovis at a press conference Monday afternoon.

The FBI and law enforcement in Abilene, Texas, have Collins in custody, he said. He was arrested while staying at a home in Abilene where the little girl was rescued.

Thorn said the girl was recovering at a hospital, but no injuries were reported.

He said he did not believe Collins was related to the little girl, her older sister, her mother or the other woman found dead at the scene Friday.

Kidnapping:Amber Alert has been issued after two women were found dead and a child injured in a New Mexico park

No motive yet for “heinous crime”

Thorn said authorities were still pursuing leads in the case and had not found a motive for what he called “this heinous crime.”

Quentin Ray, the district attorney for the 9th Judicial District, said Collins is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree kidnapping and two counts of child abuse.

“We just want to make sure the person is held accountable for their actions,” Ray said.

“You breathe a sigh of relief because you’re happy because she’s back,” said Raul Bujanda of the FBI. “At the same moment you feel the pain of the souls we have already lost.”

USA TODAY is not naming the girl because she is a minor and recovering.

After the mother was found dead, authorities began searching for the girl

The girl was reported missing Friday in Clovis, New Mexico, about 220 miles east of Albuquerque. Someone called police just before 4:30 p.m. that day and said they had found the bodies of two women in a park.

When officers arrived, they found two women with gunshot wounds, later identified as Samantha Cisneros and Taryn Allen, both 23 years old and from Texico, New Mexico. The women were lying on the ground next to a silver Dodge minivan.

A girl suffering from a head injury was also found at the scene of the accident. The officers helped the girl until emergency services finally took her to a hospital. She was then transferred to a second hospital in Lubbock, Texas.

Found safely:Baby found alive after Amber Alert issued, mother found dead in NM park; Suspect in custody

At the scene, officers found a car seat for a toddler as well as a stroller and a small baby bottle. They searched in vain for the baby.

When the Justice Department’s 9th Criminal Division became involved in the investigation and spoke with family members, they learned that Cisneros is the mother of both children involved in the case, including the 10-month-old child.

Police issued an Amber Alert and on Monday she was found and Collins was arrested.

The FBI’s Bujanda said the agency was prepared to search internationally if the investigation required it, but fortunately Collins was just one state away. Now the community can mourn, he said.

“But we will continue to do our part in the investigation to ensure that this person pays for the crime he committed and does not harm anyone in New Mexico or anywhere else in our great country,” he said.

He emphasized that the authorities would not answer individual questions because the investigation is still ongoing. He asks members of the public to call (575) 763-9472 if they have any information about the case.

It was not immediately clear who is representing Collins in the case.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She’s from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or send her an email at[email protected].

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