An urgent Amber Alert has been issued for two young children, Aryana and Alana Maldonado, following their abduction and the subsequent killing of their mother in Hanford, Kings County.
AMBER Alert- Kings, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange and Imperial Counties
— CHP - Alerts (@CHPAlerts) January 29, 2025
Last Seen: East 4th Place and Home Ave., Hanford @KingsCoSheriff
IF SEEN, CALL 9-1-1 pic.twitter.com/FCDg5aVmBx
The suspect, 23-year-old Jonathan Alexis Maldonado-Cruz, is the girls' father and is believed to have taken them in the wake of the tragic incident. The California Highway Patrol has identified him as armed and dangerous. Aryana, 3, and Alana, 2, both have brown hair and eyes while Maldonado-Cruz is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 215 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, as detailed by KTLA.
The children were last seen leaving the residence in a 2020 gray, four-door Hyundai Elantra with California license plate 8LZD084. According to NBC Los Angeles, the vehicle might be en route to Mexico. Law enforcement agencies across Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Riverside counties, have been alerted to be on the lookout for Maldonado-Cruz and his daughters.
The Kings County Sheriff's Office, in a statement obtained by CBS News Los Angeles, advised the public that anyone with information about their whereabouts should contact Detective Tyler Haener directly at (559) 670-9320 or the Kings County Sheriff's Dispatch at (559) 852-2720. Anonymous tips can also be provided by contacting (559) 852-4554.
