Post by HeadMarshal on Aug 5, 2023 8:29:55 GMT -5
Photo Credits: CBS News
The following article was originally done by CBS Colorado staff on August 3, 2023.
The Aurora Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Alejandro Garcia-Loya, 35, the suspect wanted in a double homicide case that happened in 2007. Garcia-Loya has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
On July 16, 2007, Aurora police officers were dispatched to an apartment in the 200 block of S. Jasper Circle for a welfare check. The family of Ignacio Zamudio-Estrada called police and said they had not heard from him in several days and that multiple calls when unanswered.
One officer opened an unlocked sliding back door and immediately smelled an odor consistent with a decomposing body. When they entered the apartment, officers found two deceased victims with severe trauma to their heads. Both were pronounced dead and identified as Juan Ayala-Medina and Ignacio Zamudio-Estrada.
After the murders, detectives sent several pieces of evidence from the apartments to CBI for examination, including a spoon and a Mountain Dew can collected from Alejandro's room that was tested for DNA.
The results show the DNA collected from the items was from a single contributor. Fingerprints were also collected from Alejandro's bedroom without any successful matches. In that same bedroom, a Walmart receipt was found showing a purchase of the Mountain Dew bottle and a youth baseball bat shortly before the crime took place. The youth baseball bat was not recovered.
Several years later, the Department of Homeland Security Latent Print Unit got a "hit" on the latent prints submitted in 2007. The fingerprints in the DHS system for Alejandro Garcia-Loya matched the five latent prints collected from the homicide scene.
On April 11, Aurora Police Detective Jason McDonald completed a review of this case and concluded the third roommate who fled to Mexico after killing Ignacio Zamudio-Estrada and Juan Ayala-Medina is Alejandro Garcia-Loya.
"The Aurora Police Department, along with the Major Crime Homicide Unit, is committed to finding justice for our victims and their families. Just because a case goes cold, does not mean it is forgotten," said Major Crime Homicide Unit Sgt. Chris Cruser in a statement. "Our detectives are always looking for new leads, evidence and information to solve cases. This is just one example of their efforts and dedication."
Alejandro Garcia-Loya remains on the run and anyone with information about his whereabouts can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
Moderator Note: If you have any (news-related) updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
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Thoughts? As of today, August 5, 2023, Alejandro is still at large based on the above article being posted two days ago. Every so often, identifying a suspect in a cold case homicide leads to an arrest warrant being issued if the suspect cannot be located. It is good to know that the Aurora Police Department did not forget about this case.
I hope that this will lead to Ignacio and Juan's families getting the justice that they deserve.
- www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/arrest-warrant-issued-double-homicide-suspect-alejandro-garcia-loya-cold-case-murder/