Police have issued an Amber Alert for two little girls after their mother was found dead in central California.
Kings County Sheriff’s Office said officers were called to a home in Hanford, in the San Joaquin Valley, around 4pm on Tuesday.
They attended the property on the 11500 block of Fourth Place, where they found a woman dead with a gunshot wound. The victim has not been named.
Detectives have identified the children’s father, Jonathan Alexis Maldonado-Cruz, 23, of Hanford, as the primary suspect.
They believe he left the scene of the crime at around 1am on Tuesday with the two children, Arya Maldonado, three, and Alana Maldonado, two.
Police said Maldonado-Cruz fled in a gray 2020 Hyundai Elantra with the California License #8LZD084. They believe he made have escaped to Mexico.
Detectives issued an Amber Alert urging anyone with information about his whereabouts, or the children, to contact police.
Police described Arya as brunette with brown eyes, weighing around 25 pounds.
Maldonado-Cruz is around 5 feet, 9 inches tall weighing 215 pounds and has black hair and black eyes.
The sheriff’s office said it is unknown what clothing they were last seen wearing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Tyler Haener at (559) 670-9320 or (559) 852-2818 or Kings County Sheriff’s Dispatch at (559) 852-2720.
Information can also be provided anonymously by contacting (559) 852-4554.
This is a breaking news story with updates to follow.