A Texas teen went missing and had an Amber Alert issued in an attempt to track her down. Just hours later, she was arrested and has since been charged with murder, according to police.
On Aug. 27, Arturo Pena was reported missing by his mother. She told law enforcement that her 21-year-old son never came home after going to “meet with a girl.”
Two days later, Pena’s body was found inside a vehicle at Audubon Park in Garland, Texas. Police said the victim had been fatally shot.
On Sept. 1, another local young person went missing. An AMBER Alert was issued for 17-year-old Natalie Navarro by the Dallas Police Department after her parents reported her missing.
Later that day, Navarro was located in Webb County near the Mexico border by officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
At that time, police had suspected Navarro and her 21-year-old boyfriend, Yordy Martinez, to be involved in the murder of Pena. Police obtained warrants for both Navarro and Martinez. Navarro was arrested the same day that she was found.
Martinez is still at large and may have fled into Mexico, according to authorities. Law enforcement is still trying to track down the suspect.
Investigators with the Garland Police Department suspect Navarro met Pena online two weeks before the deadly shooting, and planned to rob him with the help of Martinez. Police said Navarro and Pena agreed to meet at the park after talking online.
CBS News reported, “According to Navarro’s indictment record, she was ‘in the course of committing and attempting to commit’ robbery against Pena before he was shot.” Detectives believe that Navarro shot Pena during the robbery.
Last Tuesday, a Dallas County grand jury indicted Navarro on the accusation that she did “intentionally cause the death” of Pena, according to the indictment. Navarro was indicted on capital murder charges, according to online records.
Navarro reportedly told police that “she had spoken to Yordy once before online but had never met him in person the night of the actual murder,” said Garland Police Department spokesperson Richard Maldonado.
However, investigators allegedly have “reason to believe” Navarro could be lying.
Navarro is being held at the Dallas County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
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Murder, Homicide, Dallas, Texas, Texas crime, News
