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San Juan police chief: Suspect in custody in connection with abducted Weslaco teen

San Juan police chief: Suspect in custody in connection with abducted Weslaco teen
4 months 3 weeks 5 days ago Thursday, February 29 2024 Feb 29, 2024 February 29, 2024 10:26 PM February 29, 2024 in News - Local

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this article said Luis Gomez is in custody. Police have yet to confirm the identity of the suspect in custody in connection with the abduction. 

A suspect is in custody in connection with an abducted Weslaco teen, according to the San Juan police chief.

The suspect was placed in custody after officers with the San Juan Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a suspect vehicle at around 9:55 a.m. Friday, San Juan police Chief Leandro Sifuentes.

Sifuentes did not identify the suspect, and directed all questions to the Weslaco Police Department.

An Amber alert was issued late Thursday night for Esmeralda Mireles, 13. She was last seen Thursday at around 3 a.m. in the area of 100 n. Kansas Avenue, according to a news release from police.

Mireles suffers from "medical conditions," the release added.

A news release from the Texas Department of Public Safety says law enforcement officials believe Mireles is in grave or immediate danger. 

The DPS news release says police are looking for 37-year-old Luis Gomez, a suspect wanted in connection with the abduction.

Gomez was last seen driving in a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado with the license plate number GCW9494.

A truck matching that description was seen being towed by the San Juan Police Department Friday morning near the area of 1st Street and Wyoming Avenue in San Juan.

Channel 5 News contacted the Weslaco Police Department to confirm if Gomez is the suspect in custody.

Mireles is described as being 5’6” and has orange, reddish colored hair with a mullet style haircut and weighs 145 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans. 

Gomez is described as having black hair and brown eyes, a height of 5'3" and a weight of 140 pounds. 

Those with any information on Mireles' whereabouts are urged to contact the Weslaco Police Department at 956-968-8591. 

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