The Mother And Aunt Of A Boy Who Disappeared In California Are Arrested

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

The mother and aunt of the boy Duke Flores, 6, who disappeared in Apple Valley, CA, were arrested on suspicion that the child, who suffers from autism, was killed.

Jackee Contreras and Jennifer Contreras, both 29, were arrested immediately after the interrogation they were subjected to and are now facing the murder charge, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office obtained by People magazine.

The boy was last seen on April 14 at Cherokee Avenue and Pawnee Road. The minor's grandmother was the last to see him and a relative of the minor was the one who finally reported his disappearance last Thursday.

The authorities then detained the boy's mother for "failing to report" the disappearance of her son. "The mother says that she was playing outside, in front of the house, and then she went in to do some things and that when Duke returned, she had disappeared," Jennifer Gutiérrez, the boy's cousin, told CBSLA television.

Initially, the boy's mother was questioned at her Apple Valley home, where she accepted that her son had been missing for days and had not reported it. Later, after being detained, she was charged with murder and other officers were dispatched to the boy's aunt's home to arrest her.

According to the aforementioned chain, the little one likes to play hide and seek and there is still hope that he will appear. The search for the boy is still active with the help of volunteers and trained dogs. It even located what looked like a tomb at ground level that did not bear fruit.

"I have known him since he was a baby, I remember how he carried him in my arms," said Ángel Gutiérrez, the boy's cousin. "This is moving. I'm trying not to fall, to be strong for him."

For her part, Yvonne Ayala, one of the volunteers participating in the search, asked that more volunteers be sent. "We need picks, shovels," he assured the CBSLA channel. “It is a little boy. He was only 6 years old. He didn't deserve this."

Jackee and Jennifer Contreras remain in the county jail without bond.

Duke Flores is about 3 feet 10 inches, has brown hair and eyes, and light skin. Anyone with information about the child's whereabouts is invited to call the specialized investigations division at (909) 387-3589, Detective Narcie Sousa.