CLOVIS, N.M. — A man from Manvel, Texas -- about 25 miles south of Houston -- has been arrested after a horrific crime spree in Clovis, New Mexico, according to law enforcement. Two women were shot and killed on Friday, a 5-year-old girl was shot and wounded and a baby belonging to one of the victims was kidnapped.
Abilene police said they arrested Alek Isaiah Collins, 26, at a house there on Monday after the FBI alerted them. Ten-month-old Eleia Maria Torres, whom Collins is accused of kidnapping, was found safe inside the home. She is recovering from minor injuries at a West Texas hospital.
Collins is charged with aggravated robbery and assault on a police officer. He's now in FBI custody on suspicion of murder, kidnapping and child abuse.
The suspect has no known connection to the women killed or the two children and investigators are trying to determine a motive, according to Clovis police.
AMBER Alert issued after baby abducted
Police have identified the dead women as Samantha Cisneros and Taryn Allen, both 23 years old and from Texico, New Mexico.
They said Cisneros was the mother of the infant and the 5-year-old girl who remains hospitalized with a bullet wound to the head.
The women and children were at a park near Clovis when they were attacked.
“Their lives were tragically cut short and our thoughts are with those who mourn their loss,” Clovis Police Department Deputy Chief Trevor Thron said Friday. “No words can adequately express the pain and sorrow that this senseless act of violence has brought upon their family and our community.”
Investigators realized a baby might be missing after finding an infant car seat, stroller and baby bottle in a minivan belonging to one of the women.
Officers immediately began searching the area for the infant. They notified the FBI and an AMBER Alert was issued.
Federal and local law enforcement worked around the clock to find the baby and her abductor, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
“These men and women, even if we wanted to, we couldn’t send them home. They were committed to getting this job done, and we’re not done yet. We want to make sure this case is rock solid," FBI Albuquerque Special Agent Raul Bujanda said. "We want to make sure this suspect pays for all the heartache we’re all feeling.”