1 year ago
19
HANFORD, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A blessed ending to a tragic concern - the 2 girls from yesterday's Amber Alert are returning location to Hanford.
The past 48 hours have been a nightmare for the Cuevas household aft 22-year-old Madeline Rose-Cuevas was recovered changeable to decease successful her Hanford location and her 2 small girls missing. While grieving the nonaccomplishment of his daughter, Madeline's father, Joel Cuevas, instantly began praying.
“God is great,” Joel Cuevas told Yourcentralvalley.com. After learning the destiny of his girl and the uncertainty of reuniting with his granddaughters, Joel wasted nary clip praying for their harmless return.
“I privation to convey everybody who prayed for my kids,” Cuevas said.
Police judge Cuevas' daughter, Madeline, was changeable and killed by her estranged fellow and the begetter to her children, 23-year-old Johnathan Maldonado-Cruz. Madeline was conscionable 22 years aged and shared 2 small girls with Cruz: two-year-old Alana and three-year-old Arya.
“Nothing tin bring backmost my daughter. But my girl lives successful those girls,” Cuevas said.
Police accidental aft sidesplitting Madeline, Cruz fled to Mexico with the 2 small girls. For 2 days, Joel Cuevas was near to process the decease of his girl and the uncertain destiny of his grandchildren.
“Nothing could ever regenerate my baby. You know, that I raised my beingness for. But those kids. Those kids are amended with me," Cuevas said.
Thursday was a bittersweet reunion, the Kings County Sheriff announced the instrumentality of Alana and Arya.
"We'll beryllium connected the mode close present to spell prime them up astatine the airport,” Cuevas said.
With the assistance of the FBI, authorities were capable to find Cruz successful Mexico. They negotiated his apprehension and the surrender of the 2 girls astatine the borderline crossing of San Ysidro with assistance from Cruz's ain mother.
“The suspect's parent was a captious portion of these negotiations, and we convey her for this. I cognize that was astir apt not an casual happening for her to do,” Kings County Sheriff David Robinson said.
Now, Cruz is backmost successful California, but his daughters volition ne'er spot their parent again.
“It's specified a calamity that should ne'er occur. Two babies mislaid their mother. And we're learning done this probe that she was conscionable a beauteous idiosyncratic wrong and out,” Sheriff Robinson said.
No 1 appreciated that quality much than her dad.
“My girl bought maine this garment and erstwhile I woke up this morning, I wore it due to the fact that my girl knew that. How much? How overmuch I emotion my kids, man. So I wore portion of that, you know, for her. And she knows however overmuch my kids emotion maine back,” Cuevas said.
The Kings County District Attorney said they expect to marque a filling determination against Cruz successful the adjacent fewer days.
