A youth from Orange County who was locked up for a 2021 murder cut off his court-ordered GPS monitor and vanished while at Santiago Canyon College, according to authorities. Local probation officials and law enforcement agencies launched a search after the student did not return from campus on March 10.
In a press release, the Orange County Probation Department said Jose Angel Aguilar was on a court-ordered academic furlough when he "cut off his GPS device and absconded" while attending classes on March 10. The juvenile court had granted weekly furloughs on Feb. 2 so he could attend college, and OC Probation said it requested that those furloughs be vacated on March 6, but they remained in effect. The department said Aguilar had been serving custody time at an OC Probation juvenile facility for a murder committed in 2021.
OC Probation asked anyone with information to call "Custody Intake: 1 (714) 935-7636 or report via Probation Violator Hotline: 1 (888) 296-3389," and said multiple law enforcement partners are assisting in the search. Authorities have not released additional identifying details about Aguilar beyond what appears in the department release.
Where it happened
Santiago Canyon College is located at 8045 E. Chapman Ave. in Orange, according to the Rancho Santiago Community College District's directions page. The campus, which is part of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, serves students from across eastern Orange County and on this day became the center of a countywide manhunt.
Local coverage and how the story broke
The case was spotlighted in a video segment by CBS News Los Angeles on March 13, and local blog News Santa Ana reported additional details about the academic furlough and the disappearance on campus. Officials say they are coordinating across agencies as they continue the search.
Probation's framing and next steps
In its release, the probation department said it works to "balance accountability with second chances" while supervising justice-involved youth, a choice of words that helps explain why supervised educational furloughs sometimes get the green light. The department said it is actively working with partner agencies to locate Aguilar and will provide updates as investigations move forward.
Anyone with information was urged to contact the custody intake line or the Probation Violator Hotline listed in the department release. Officials are asking that tips be reported quickly so investigators can follow up.
