Man arrested after two women were fatally shot, 10-month-old girl abducted in New Mexico
A man was taken into custody in connection to the abduction of a 10-month-old baby girl in New Mexico as authorities try to figure out 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 was taken into custody in connection to the deaths of two women, an injured child and the abduction of a 10-month-old baby girl that took place Friday, said Deputy Chief Trevor Thorn of the Clovis Police Department at a news conference Monday afternoon.
The FBI and law enforcement in Abilene, Texas, have Collins in their custody, he said. He was arrested while staying at a home in Abilene, where the baby girl was rescued.
Thorn said the baby is recovering at a hospital, but no injuries were reported.
He said he does not think Collins is related to the baby, her older sister, her mother, or the other woman who was found dead at the scene Friday.
Abduction: Amber Alert issued after 2 women found dead, child injured in New Mexico park
No motive yet for ‘heinous crime’
Thorn said authorities are still following leads about the case and they haven’t found any motive for what he called “this heinous crime.”
Quentin Ray, the Ninth Judicial District Attorney, said Collins will be charged with two counts of first degree murder, a first degree kidnapping charge, as well as two counts of child abuse. While arresting Collins, authorities found a weapon, according to an arrest affidavit.
“We just want to make sure the person is held accountable for his actions,” Ray said.
“You take a big sigh of relief because you're happy because she's back,” said Raul Bujanda with the FBI. “In that same moment, you feel the pain of the souls that we have already lost.”
USA TODAY is not naming the baby because she is a minor and has been recovered.
Collins previously made threats, affidavit shows
An arrest affidavit for Collins says he called the FBI Nation Threat Operations Center on Oct. 10, 2023 and said if the FBI did not help him find his daughter, he was going to "murder a bunch of children."
He said he had called the FBI days earlier and was told a case would be opened to find his daughter but local police showed up to his home instead. He was eventually taken to a mental health center.
Authorities began searching for baby after mother was found dead
The baby girl was reported missing Friday out of Clovis, New Mexico, about 220 miles east of Albuquerque. Someone called police just before 4:30 p.m. that day and said they’d found the bodies of two women at a park.
When officers arrived, they found two women with gunshot wounds, later identified as Samantha Cisneros and Taryn Allen, both 23 and from Texico, New Mexico. The women were on the ground next to a silver Dodge minivan.
A young girl was also found at the scene suffering from a head injury. Officers helped the girl until EMS eventually took her to a hospital, then she was transferred to a second hospital in Lubbock, Texas.
Found safe: Baby found alive after Amber Alert issued, mom found dead in NM park; suspect in custody
While at the scene, officers found a car seat for an infant, as well as a stroller and a small baby bottle. They searched for the baby to no avail.
Once the 9th Judicial Major Crime Unit got involved in the investigation and spoke to family members, they learned Cisneros is the mother of both children involved in the case, including the 10-month-old.
Police issued an Amber Alert and by Monday, she was found and Collins was arrested.
Bujanda, with the FBI, said the agency was prepared to search internationally if the investigation required it, but luckily Collins was only a state away. Now, the community can mourn, he said.
“But we will continue to do our part to investigate to make sure that this person pays for the crime they committed and doesn't harm anyone else in New Mexico or anywhere else in this great country of ours,” he said.
He stressed that authorities would not answer individual questions as the investigation is ongoing. He asked that members of the public call 575-763-9472 if they have 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 is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man arrested in Texas after abduction, double homicide in New Mexico
