CLOVIS, N.M. — A 10-month old girl who police say was abducted in Clovis, New Mexico, has been found alive.
FBI officials say they also have a suspect in custody. He has been identified as 26-year-old Alek Collins of Houston, Texas. Collins was taken into custody in Abilene, Texas by law enforcement.
On May 3, Clovis Police reportedly found 23-year-old Samantha Cisneros and 23-year-old Taryn Allen shot and killed near a minivan at Ned Houk Park. Officers also found a child on the ground with a head injury.
During the investigation, officers reportedly found an infant car seat, a stroller, and a small baby bottle left at the scene. Officers began searching the area for 10-month-old Eleia Maria Torres and issued an Amber Alert.
Police and the FBI searched the area for the missing infant May 4 and 5 with no success.
“We need to show our community’s support,” Clovis Police Chief Roy Rice said in a press conference held on May 5. “There have been a lot of tragic events, and a lot of people are damaged and are victims in this. And we’re here to help them.”
Albuquerque FBI Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda also spoke during the press conference, saying that the top priority was finding the baby and the person or people responsible for her disappearance, the murder of her mother and another woman, and the injury of Torres’s five-year-old sister.
Deputy Chief Thron provided a more specific timeline of the tragedy during the May 5 press conference after authorities spoke with witnesses and family, and reviewed surveillance video. The two women and two children were first at a drive-in, then a dollar store before going to the park May 3.
Thron said a witness heard gunshots in the park, but did not immediately report this to police. At 4:25 p.m., a witness saw the two women and five-year-old lying in the park, then called 911.
As of May 8, the five-year-old is still receiving care at a hospital in Lubbock, Texas.
Torres was finally found on May 6. She was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
According to an arrest warrant, authorities soon executed a search warrant for the minivan found at the scene. During their search, officers say they found a receipt from a nearby Dollar Tree. The store is almost seven miles away from the park, with a travel time of about 10 minutes by car. Video later obtained from the business confirmed the presence of Cisneros, Allen, and her children.
Police also generated search warrants for cell phone providers and found a phone number registered to Collins. It was located near the park around the same time the shooting occurred, as well as the Dollar Tree when the victims were shopping at the store previously.
Based on the search warrant, authorities discovered that Collins had rented a maroon Honda sedan through an app called Turo. It’s a car-sharing company that allows private car owners to rent out their vehicles through an online and mobile platform.
Officers say the car’s original owner was able to provide GPS coordinates through a monitoring system placed on the Honda. According to data, the car traveled from Clovis to Friona, Texas; Dimmitt, Texas; Earth, Texas; Sudan, Texas; Littlefield, Texas; Levelland, Texas; Ropesville, Texas; Tahoka, Texas; Post, Texas; Snyder, Texas; Roby, Texas; Anson, Texas; and eventually to Abilene, Texas. The car was soon disabled at a home along Harwell Street.
Local agents were then sent out to the residence with a search warrant. During surveillance of the area, police noticed Collins pushing a maroon Honda sedan out of the garage and into the street.
Officers detained Collins. Torres was also found at the home. Her family was soon notified of her recovery, and accommodations were made to get her back home.
During an interview with police Collins reportedly admitted to taking Torres “but not shooting any of the victims.”
Through their investigation, officers learned Collins contacted the FBI Nation Threat Operations Center in October. He reportedly said if the FBI did not help him find his daughter, he was going to “murder a bunch of children.” Local police were dispatched to his home at the time of the incident, and he was ultimately placed in a mental center.
According to officers, Collins also said that he kidnapped a woman and her son.
Collins is being charged with two counts of murder, two counts of child abuse, and one count of kidnapping in New Mexico. Along with those charges, he’s also facing two counts of assault on a peace officer and one count of aggravated robbery by the Abilene Police Department.
Staff Reports
