An Amber Alert has been issued for two toddlers who were allegedly abducted by their father after their mother was found murdered inside their California home.
Jonathan Alexis Maldonado-Cruz, 23, is accused of taking his daughters – Arya Maldonado, 3, and Alana Maldonado, 2 – from their Hanford home around 1 a.m. Tuesday after allegedly shooting and killing their mother, according to the Kings County Sheriff’s Office.
Police found the woman, who has not been identified, with a gunshot wound to the head around 4 p.m. while conducting a welfare check.
Authorities believe Maldonado-Cruz, who is said to be armed and dangerous, fled to Mexico with the girls.
Maldonado-Cruz was last seen in a gray-colored Hyundai Elantra with the California license plate 8LZD084. He weighs about 215 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes, according to the Amber Alert.
The older child Arya weighs about 25 pounds and is 3 feet tall and the younger, Alana, is about 20 pounds and 2 ½ feet tall. Both girls have brown hair and eyes, according to the alert.
It is unknown what either girl or Maldonado-Cruz was last wearing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Kings County Sheriff’s Office at 559-852-2720.
