Pair held in deaths of 2 kids missing for years before their remains were found in concrete and a suitcase
Two suspects are in custody in connection with the deaths of two Colorado children, whose remains were discovered this year. According to jail records, Jesus Dominguez and Corena Rose Minjarez were apprehended last week on two counts each of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the cases of Jesus Dominguez Jr. and Yesenia Dominguez, as confirmed by Pueblo police.
Authorities revealed that they were unaware of the children's absence until last month, when Yesenia's body was found. The siblings, Jesus and Yesenia, had not been seen since the summer of 2018, when they were 5 and 3 years old, respectively.
Jesus Dominguez is the father of the deceased children, and he is romantically involved with Minjarez, who is not related to them. Both Dominguez, aged 35, and Minjarez, aged 36, are currently held on a $2 million bond, as indicated by Pueblo County Jail records.
The arrests followed a plea for information from the public in recent weeks. On January 20, Pueblo police responded to a report of suspicious activity and discovered a metal container filled with hardened concrete in a storage unit. Two days later, they confirmed the presence of a girl's body inside the container.
Subsequently, Dominguez and Minjarez became the focus of the investigation, although they were not initially named as suspects in earlier police statements. Pueblo police have not responded to requests for further comment.
During interviews last month, there was speculation that the children might be in Phoenix, but this lead did not yield results, according to authorities.
Additionally, a vehicle registered to Minjarez was found in a scrap yard. A search of the car's trunk on February 6 led to the discovery of a boy's body inside a suitcase, police reported.
DNA testing conducted on Thursday confirmed the identities of the deceased: the girl found in the storage unit was Yesenia, and the boy found in the suitcase was Jesus. Subsequently, arrest warrants were issued for Dominguez and Minjarez.
In addition to the murder charges, Dominguez is also accused of theft of government benefits.
Pueblo police stated that no missing person's report had been filed for the children, and their disappearance was only brought to their attention when the investigation commenced last month.
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