Tag:

Guatemala

Maryland Father Killed In Work Accident As Family Works To Bring Him Home To Guatemala Maryland Father Killed In Work Accident As Family Works To Bring Him Home To Guatemala
Maryland Father Killed In Work Accident As Family Works To Bring Him Home To Guatemala A Maryland father killed in a workplace accident is being remembered by his family as a devoted provider and proud member of his hometown, as loved ones now work to bring his body home to Guatemala. Leonicio Velasquez-Morales died on the morning of Monday, April 6, after a job-related accident, according to a fundraiser organized by his son, Jerry Velasquez. He had spent the past decade in the United States supporting his family while staying closely tied to his village of Boxoncan, a place relatives say he never stopped representing. “Leonicio Velasquez-Morales was a father, grandfather, …
Deadly Fairfax County Stabbing Sparks ICE Warning: ‘Do Not Let This Murderer Go Free’ Deadly Fairfax County Stabbing Sparks ICE Warning: ‘Do Not Let This Murderer Go Free’
Deadly Fairfax County Stabbing Sparks ICE Warning: ‘Do Not Let This Murderer Go Free’ A man accused of a deadly stabbing inside a Fairfax County home is now at the center of a growing political firestorm, with federal immigration officials imploring Virginia leaders not to release him. Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, 38, was arrested on Sunday, March 30, one day after a man was found stabbed to death inside a home on Bellview Drive in Bailey’s Crossroads, according to police. Officers were called shortly before 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, to the 6000 block of Bellview Drive, where they found a man suffering from multiple stab wounds to his upper body. The victim was rushed …
Teenage Girls Forced Into Grueling Labor At Chester County Mushroom Farm: PA AG Teenage Girls Forced Into Grueling Labor At Chester County Mushroom Farm: PA AG
Teenage Girls Forced Into Grueling Labor At Chester County Mushroom Farm: PA AG A Chester County man is accused of trafficking two teenage immigrant girls and forcing them into long days of labor for little to no pay, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Monday, Sept. 22. Ramiro Caal Jolomna was charged with felony trafficking in individuals, involuntary servitude, and related offenses after a joint investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Section. His preliminary arraignment was held, and bail was set at $1 million, according to officials. Investigators said Jolomna charged the girls, ages 14 and 17, with “debts”…
Maryland Probes Rare Flesh-Eating Parasite New World Screwworm Case Maryland Probes Rare Flesh-Eating Parasite New World Screwworm Case
Maryland Probes Rare Flesh-Eating Parasite New World Screwworm Case A notorious flesh-eating parasite has been detected in a US patient for the first time in decades, health officials say. Maryland health authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating a travel-associated infection in a person who recently arrived from El Salvador, according to a Department of Health and Human Services spokesman cited by The Washington Post on Monday, Aug. 25.  Officials said the diagnosis was confirmed earlier this month and emphasized there is no sign the organism is spreading locally. The parasite, known as the New World screw…
Beacon Man, 25, Dies In Unexpected Accident: Friends Now Seeking Help Sending Him Home Beacon Man, 25, Dies In Unexpected Accident: Friends Now Seeking Help Sending Him Home
Beacon Man, 25, Dies In Unexpected Accident: Friends Now Seeking Help Sending Him Home Following the unexpected death of a 25-year-old soccer player who resided in Dutchess County, his friends are now coming together to send his body back to his home country to be with his family. The effort has come in the form of a GoFundMe page started to raise funds to send the man, identified only as Alexander, back to his home country of Guatemala following his death on Monday, Aug. 18.  According to the page's organizer, Alex Serroukas, Alexander was a "great human being" who played soccer in Beacon and also worked at the Double O Grill in Wappingers Falls.  "With his hard work and da…
ICE Agents Ambush DC Father Loved In Community For Decades, Neighbors Rally To Save Him ICE Agents Ambush DC Father Loved In Community For Decades, Neighbors Rally To Save Him
ICE Agents Ambush DC Father Loved In Community For Decades, Neighbors Rally To Save Him A DC father who has been a part of his community for more than two decades is sitting in ICE custody after being picked up on his way to work, sparking outrage and support from neighbors and loved ones. On Monday, Aug. 18, Byron Mejia was surrounded by three police cars and taken into custody by ICE while commuting to his job, according to his distraught family. Mejia, who came to Washington, DC from Guatemala in 2005 at age 19, has spent more than 20 years in the community, raising two children with his wife, Monica Sanchez.  Loved ones say he built a life marked by hard work, though…
Family IDs Daughter Killed In Rye Brook Crash While They Were On Way Home From Beach Family IDs Daughter Killed In Rye Brook Crash While They Were On Way Home From Beach
Family IDs Daughter Killed In Rye Brook Crash While They Were On Way Home From Beach The family of the young girl killed in a fiery rollover crash in Westchester is seeking help with covering funeral costs and medical expenses for her siblings, who remain hospitalized. The crash happened in Rye Brook on Saturday, Aug. 16, around 5:10 p.m. on Westchester Avenue, when first responders arrived to find a vehicle overturned and engulfed in flames, according to the Port Chester Fire Department. Several children and adults were rushed to local hospitals following the incident, as Daily Voice previously reported.  In a GoFundMe, the girl's parents, Blanca Morales and Marv…
Virginia Teen Cresencio Chavez Velasquez Dies After Drowning Off Assateague Island Virginia Teen Cresencio Chavez Velasquez Dies After Drowning Off Assateague Island
Virginia Teen Cresencio Chavez Velasquez Dies After Drowning Off Assateague Island A tight-knit Eastern Shore community is grieving the sudden death of a teenager whose family said he could light up any room. Cresencio Lucas Chavez Velasquez, 18, of Parksley, drowned after struggling in the water off Assateague Island National Seashore on Thursday, July 24, 2025, according to the National Park Service. Officials said Chavez Velasquez was swimming near the southern end of the Chincoteague Beach Parking Lot around 4:15 p.m. when he and another person began struggling offshore.  A relative ran to alert lifeguards stationed about 150 yards away, though Chavez Velasquez …
DHS Calls 'Allentown Grandfather' Story A Media Hoax, Says ICE Never Deported Him DHS Calls 'Allentown Grandfather' Story A Media Hoax, Says ICE Never Deported Him
DHS Calls 'Allentown Grandfather' Story A Media Hoax, Says ICE Never Deported Him A national outcry over the alleged secret deportation and death of an elderly man from Allentown has been debunked, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday, July 21. Luis Leon, an 82-year-old Chilean national, was never deported to Guatemala, never arrested, and has no record of any green card appointment in Philadelphia on the day in question, according to DHS officials. “ICE never arrested or deported Luis Leon to Guatemala. Nor does ICE ‘disappear’ people—this is a categorical lie,” said Assistant Secretary McLaughlin. The Morning Call had published a report on Sunday, Ju…
Husband, Father ID'd As Rider Killed In Fairfield Hit-Run Crash Husband, Father ID'd As Rider Killed In Fairfield Hit-Run Crash
Husband, Father ID'd As Rider Killed In Fairfield Hit-Run Crash Authorities have identified the 25-year-old Bridgeport man who was struck and killed while riding his moped in Fairfield over the weekend as Juan Otilio Tista Tista, a husband and father. Tista Tista was riding on Post Road near South Benson Road around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, when he was hit by a vehicle that fled the scene, Fairfield police said. Friends said he was driving home from work when the crash happened.  Emergency responders transported Tista Tista to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Fairfield police later located the driver and the vehicle…
Guatemalan Fugitive Wanted For Homicide Apprehended In NJ: ICE Guatemalan Fugitive Wanted For Homicide Apprehended In NJ: ICE
Guatemalan Fugitive Wanted For Homicide Apprehended In NJ: ICE A 29-year-old Guatemalan fugitive wanted for homicide in his home country was arrested by ICE in New Jersey on Tuesday, May 13, authorities said. Adelso Garcia Martinez was arrested for violations of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, ICE Homeland Security Investigations Newark said. Martinez is wanted for two counts of attempted aggravated homicide in Guatemala. ICE did not say where in New Jersey he was arrested. Martinez unlawfully entered the United States through Texas in May 2021, ICE said. He was released into the United States by U.S. Border Patrol the same day, ICE said. Mart…
‘Voices Told Me To Burn It’: Carroll County Arsonist Torches Homes, Faces Prison, Deportation ‘Voices Told Me To Burn It’: Carroll County Arsonist Torches Homes, Faces Prison, Deportation
‘Voices Told Me To Burn It’: Carroll County Arsonist Torches Homes, Faces Prison, Deportation A Maryland man who admitted to setting a fire that destroyed two homes and a shed told a judge that he only did it because “voices told him to.” Now, he’s headed to prison. Milton Salguero-Vargus, 24, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree arson for the March 2022 fire that tore through a mobile home park on Woodbine Road in Westminster, prosecutors announced on Wednesday, May 21. According to the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office, the fire began around 2:40 p.m. on March 1, 2022, when firefighters from the Winfield Community Volunt…
Virginia Gang Member Freed 16 Times Injures Officer Before Latest Arrest: ICE Virginia Gang Member Freed 16 Times Injures Officer Before Latest Arrest: ICE
Virginia Gang Member Freed 16 Times Injures Officer Before Latest Arrest: ICE It took 16 tries — and now an injured ICE officer — but federal agents say they finally have a dangerous gang member off Virginia’s streets. Mykol Santos-Santos, 25, an illegal Guatemalan national and known gang member, was arrested Monday, May 12 in Fairfax, ICE officials in Washington, DC announced. Santos-Santos didn’t go quietly. Officials say he resisted arrest, fought officers, and injured one of them during the takedown. ICE says Santos-Santos has been arrested more than 30 times in Fairfax County since 2020.  His record includes assault and battery, burglary, drug distributio…
Twice-Deported Man Accused Of Abducting, Strangling Woman In Virginia: ICE Twice-Deported Man Accused Of Abducting, Strangling Woman In Virginia: ICE
Twice-Deported Man Accused Of Abducting, Strangling Woman In Virginia: ICE Wilmer Ramos-Giron was deported — twice. He came back — again. Now he's accused of choking and abducting a woman in Virginia. A Guatemalan national who was previously deported twice is in custody again after being arrested in Chantilly and charged with abduction, assault, and felony strangulation, federal officials announced. Wilmer Ramos-Giron, 34, was taken into custody on April 24 by officers from ICE Washington, DC and the Virginia State Police, according to ICE. Ramos-Giron, who has a past federal firearms conviction, had already been deported from the US in 2012 and again in 2020, bu…
Convicted Attempted Killer Caught In Maryland, Faces Deportation To Guatemala: ICE Convicted Attempted Killer Caught In Maryland, Faces Deportation To Guatemala: ICE
Convicted Attempted Killer Caught In Maryland, Faces Deportation To Guatemala: ICE A convicted attempted murderer is back in custody—this time with a one-way ticket out of the country, according to federal officials. Edvin Giovanni Ceron-Reyes, 37, was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maryland on Monday, March 31, after he completed a prison sentence for a brutal 2011 crime in Howard County, ICE announced. Ceron-Reyes, a citizen of Guatemala, entered the United States unlawfully at an unknown location and date. On July 7, 2011, Howard County Police arrested him and charged him with attempted first-degree murder.  That same day, I…
Trio Beat, Stabbed Man To Death At Homeless Camp Steps From Central Islip Police Station: DA Trio Beat, Stabbed Man To Death At Homeless Camp Steps From Central Islip Police Station: DA
Trio Beat, Stabbed Man To Death At Homeless Camp Steps From Central Islip Police Station: DA Three foreign nationals were formally charged with murdering a homeless man just steps from a Long Island police station. Brayan Heredia-Escobar, 19, of Guatemala; Jhon Lopez-Camps, 18, of El Salvador; and Julio Beltran, 39, of El Salvador, were indicted for second-degree murder in Suffolk County Court in the brutal killing of 39-year-old Salvadoran national Candido Saravia-Martinez. The victim was found slain in a makeshift tent in Central Islip, near the intersection of Suffolk and Carleton avenues, at around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, as Daily Voice reported. The scene was just steps f…
Convicted Child Rapist, Gang Members Arrested In Virginia After Illegally Reentering US: DOJ Convicted Child Rapist, Gang Members Arrested In Virginia After Illegally Reentering US: DOJ
Convicted Child Rapist, Gang Members Arrested In Virginia After Illegally Reentering US: DOJ A convicted child rapist, gang members, and repeat violent offenders are among six men facing charges in Virginia after being arrested for illegally reentering the US following multiple deportations, federal officials announced. Erik Siebert, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said the men—who hail from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico—had been previously removed from the country, only to return and commit new crimes, including violent assaults, stabbings, and child abuse. Among them is Carlos Alberto Sosa Horellana, a Honduran national convicted of raping a child…
Child Calls 911 After PA Mom Shot Dead By BF In Basement: DA Child Calls 911 After PA Mom Shot Dead By BF In Basement: DA
Child Calls 911 After PA Mom Shot Dead By BF In Basement: DA A child called 911 after their mother was shot inside their Rostraver Township home, and the woman’s boyfriend has been charged with homicide. The case against Robert Chaplin will proceed to trial, a magisterial judge ruled on Tuesday, March 11, following a brief preliminary hearing. Rostraver Township Police and county detectives responded to the 900 block of Route 136 just before 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, after the child’s emergency call reported a shooting. Officers arrived to find Chaplin, 34, standing in the driveway. Inside, they discovered Estela Rivera Vasquez, 35, lying on th…
Ex-Olympian Accused Of Ordering Murders Added To FBI's Most Wanted List Ex-Olympian Accused Of Ordering Murders Added To FBI's Most Wanted List
Ex-Olympian Accused Of Ordering Murders Added To FBI's Most Wanted List In a stunning fall from grace, a former once celebrated for his prowess on the slopes, now finds himself at the center of a chilling manhunt. Accused of orchestrating a deadly drug trafficking operation that spans continents, Ryan Wedding, age 43, has been placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, joining the ranks of the most notorious criminals in America.
 Once an icon of athleticism, Wedding now faces serious allegations, including multiple murders linked to his alleged drug empire.  As authorities intensify their search, a $10 million reward has been offered for informat…
US Travel Advisory Expanded: These 23 Nations Now Under Warning US Travel Advisory Expanded: These 23 Nations Now Under Warning
US Travel Advisory Expanded: These 23 Nations Now Under Warning In a significant move to safeguard American travelers, the US Department of State has updated its travel advisory system, identifying 23 nations where heightened caution is urged.  The advisory system evaluates a range of risks, including crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health threats, and natural disasters. The State Department reviews Level 1 and 2 advisories annually, while Level 3 and 4 warnings are reassessed every six months.  According to a department statement, "A Travel Advisory will also be updated anytime there is a change in US government posture, normally as it relat…
Guatemalan Man Killed In Rainy Night Crash In Delco: PA State Police Guatemalan Man Killed In Rainy Night Crash In Delco: PA State Police
Guatemalan Man Killed In Rainy Night Crash In Delco: PA State Police A pedestrian was struck and killed on a dark, rainy stretch of W. Baltimore Pike in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania State Police announced. Jose L. Pelico Gonon, 35, original of Guatemalan but most recently of Media, was fatally hit by an Acura RDX driven by Christopher Conley, 22, of Havertown, at approximately 8:21 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12, according to the release. Gonon had crossed the northbound lanes onto a raised concrete island dividing the highway before stepping into the southbound left lane, failing to yield to oncoming traffic, investigators said. Conley, tr…
Convicted Sex Offender In MD Sentenced For Illegal Reentry After Deportation To Guatemala: Feds Convicted Sex Offender In MD Sentenced For Illegal Reentry After Deportation To Guatemala: Feds
Convicted Sex Offender In MD Sentenced For Illegal Reentry After Deportation To Guatemala: Feds A Hyattsville man convicted of sexually abusing a minor in Maryland is heading to federal prison after illegally reentering the country following his deportation, officials said. A judge sentenced 48-year-old Erbeth Gomez-Delgado to 24 months in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of reentry after deportation during a three-day trial in November 2024, according to the US Attorney's Office. Gomez-Delgado was first encountered by US Customs and Border Patrol on July 29, 2016, crossing the Rio Grande in Texas without inspection.  Officials deported him to Guatemala the same day,…
Construction Worker Killed In Building Collapse Dreamed Of Returning With Family To Guatemala Construction Worker Killed In Building Collapse Dreamed Of Returning With Family To Guatemala
Construction Worker Killed In Building Collapse Dreamed Of Returning With Family To Guatemala The family of a construction worker killed in a tragic building collapse in Washington, DC, last week, is working tirelessly to fulfill his final wish: returning his body to his native Guatemala for burial. Edgar Cifuentes was crushed under a two-story row house that collapsed early on Monday, Dec. 23 while working on a project in the 1100 block of V Street NW when the building came down. Cifuentes was stuck in a perilous position, and despite firefighters' best efforts, he was pronounced dead that afternoon after being rescued from the rubble. Following his death, Cifuentes was remem…
Guatemalan Family Pleads For Help After Patriarch Killed By Gun Violence In Hyattsville Guatemalan Family Pleads For Help After Patriarch Killed By Gun Violence In Hyattsville
Guatemalan Family Pleads For Help After Patriarch Killed By Gun Violence In Hyattsville A Maryland community is rallying as a family hopes to send the body of a 38-year-old man victimized by gun violence in Prince George's County back to his native Guatemala. Jeiver Pozuelos Cervantes was found suffering from fatal gunshot wounds on the side of the road in what is believed to be a targeted attack in Riverdale, police say. At approximately 6:40 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24, officers in the area of Veterans Parkway and Riverdale Road were alerted to Cervantes, who was unresponsive on the side of the road with critical injuries. The Hyattsville resident was pronounced dead at the s…
Feds Critical Of Howard County For Refusing To Honor Immigration Detainer In Maryland Feds Critical Of Howard County For Refusing To Honor Immigration Detainer In Maryland
Feds Critical Of Howard County For Refusing To Honor Immigration Detainer In Maryland A Guatemalan national who was convicted of assault and later released is back in the custody of the the Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore (ERO), authorities announced. Walter Romero Saloj-Pecher was apprehended after being let back into the public following multiple incidents that were reported in Maryland. According to officials, in late January 2013, Saloj-Pecher entered the country illegally in Texas, where he was apprehended and issued a notice to appear before a DOJ immigration judge, who ultimately released him in March 2013. Months later, in August 2014, a secon…
ICE Captures Illegal Immigrant With Rape Conviction In Charles County ICE Captures Illegal Immigrant With Rape Conviction In Charles County
ICE Captures Illegal Immigrant With Rape Conviction In Charles County A 19-year-old Guatemalan national in the country illegally who was convicted of raping a Maryland resident has been apprehended, according to US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. Deportation officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested Henry Argueta-Tobar this week in Waldorf, authorities announced on Thursday. According to ICE, US Border Patrol apprehended Argueta-Tobar in May 2019 near El Paso as an unaccompanied minor, where he was issued a notice to appear before a DOJ immigration judge. Two days after bei…
Fundraiser Reaches Goal For Funeral Westhill HS Student Found Dead In New Canaan Fundraiser Reaches Goal For Funeral Westhill HS Student Found Dead In New Canaan
Fundraiser Reaches Goal For Funeral Westhill HS Student Found Dead In New Canaan A fundraiser for a Fairfield County high school student who was found dead in a wooded area has reached its goal to pay for funeral expenses. Related: ID Released For Man Found Dead In New Canaan Woods Santos Eujedo Perez, exact age not provided, of Stamford, was found dead Tuesday, July 9, in New Canaan in a wooded area after working at a construction site. Perez, a quiet but friendly Westhill High School student, was reported missing by family on Monday, July 8, according to the New Cannan Police. "Everyone associated with Stamford Public Schools is devastated by the passing of S…
Dads ID'd As Men Pulled From Creek In PA Park: Police Dads ID'd As Men Pulled From Creek In PA Park: Police
Dads ID'd As Men Pulled From Creek In PA Park: Police Two fathers have left behind young children — including an infant after drowning in a Pennsylvania creek, as detailed in a GoFundMe started for their family. The discovery of the first body led divers to another body, as Daily Voice previously reported.  Bilsón Araél Ramirez, 22 recently of Pittsburgh, but originally of Guatemala, was found "floating in the Montour Run Creek near the Montour Run Trail" around 4:05 p.m. in Moon Township on June 28, according to the police release and identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on July 9.  After first res…
PA Man Who Raped Pregnant Woman Held Pending Trial, Police Say PA Man Who Raped Pregnant Woman Held Pending Trial, Police Say
PA Man Who Raped Pregnant Woman Held Pending Trial, Police Say A 22-year-old man is being held following his arrest for the rape of a pregnant woman in Chester County, police said. Oxford police arrested Elder Delfidio Perez-Alvarado, of Guatemala, on the unit block of S 5th Street around 8 p.m. on April 8, police said. Perez-Alvarado is alleged to have engaged in physical acts to another person and to their unborn child, police said. Perez-Alvarado was processed and taken to Chester County Prison and later held on $50,000 Cash Bail.  A preliminary hearing was held at the Oxford District Court on May 7, and the charges listed, were held over…
Pennsylvania ATV Crash Kills 22-Year-Old New Jersey Woman, Police In Gettysburg Say Pennsylvania ATV Crash Kills 22-Year-Old New Jersey Woman, Police In Gettysburg Say
Pennsylvania ATV Crash Kills 22-Year-Old New Jersey Woman, Police In Gettysburg Say A 22-year-old woman died at the scene of an all-terrain vehicle crash on Sunday, Pennsylvania State Police in Gettysburg announced the following day. Evelyn Pineda Guadron, of Hightstown, New Jersey, was riding the Yamaha YFM7RAL ATV in the 400 block of Birch Run Road in Menallen Township near the Michaux State Forest in Shippensburg.  She lost control  of the ATV around 6 p.m. on June 9, PSP detailed in the release That's when she fell off “due to the decrease in elevation just off the roadway," as stated in the release. But the ATV kept g…
American Dream Cut Short: Murder Victim Was Building Better Life With Family In MD, Mom Says American Dream Cut Short: Murder Victim Was Building Better Life With Family In MD, Mom Says
American Dream Cut Short: Murder Victim Was Building Better Life With Family In MD, Mom Says "Without touching his heart they took his life." The mother of a 23-year-old Hyattsville resident is speaking out in the days following his death. Lusvin España was out to dinner in Chillum when he was killed by 34-year-old Alexis Romero and 27-year-old Edward Mejia-Sandoval  on Wednesday night, April 10, as previously reported by Daily Voice. Both Romero and Mejia-Sandoval were complete strangers to España, who according to NBC Washington and Telemundo 44 was having dinner with his boss and colleagues when the two came in and began wreaking havoc.  España and an emplo…