AMBER Alert: Texas Woman Murdered, Child Abducted


An AMBER alert is in effect for 4-year-old Denton, Texas, child Ricardo Alekzander Lara. Officials believe that the child is in immediate grave danger, and is in the custody of 23-year-old Ricardo Lara Martinez, who is a suspect in the murder of the missing boy’s mother. The details of this case are still in development, but the urgency in this case is very clear. The Record out of Orange County, Texas, reports that Martinez may be traveling on foot with the child.

The Republic reports that the boy’s mother, a 27-year-old woman who has not yet been identified in the media, was found dead on Saturday afternoon. Her body was found at a tax and insurance service business building. It was revealed not long after the discovery of her body that 4-year-old Ricardo Alekzander Lara was missing. Officials have acknowledged that the victim had recently ended her relationship with the missing boy’s father, who is the suspect currently being sought.

The missing child is described as being white with brown hair and brown eyes, standing at three-feet-tall and weighing 55 pounds. What he was last seen wearing is currently unknown. The suspect in this disappearance and murder, Martinez, is of average height and weighs around 150 pounds. His features are a little darker than the child’s.

The AMBER alert was issued by the Denton Police Department, who is asking for help seeking the child. If you have information, or if you have sighted either the suspect or the child, please do not hesitate to call the department at (940) 349-7919 — or dial 911.

The Denton Record-Chronicle reported on the discovery of the 27-year-old woman’s body, still not identifying her. The report shares that the last known contact with the victim was with family members on Friday afternoon. She was presumably murdered at Sanchez Insurance and Tax Services, where she was employed. It was immediately discovered by police that the child and his father were nowhere to be found. This is what led to the AMBER alert, and Ricardo Martinez declared a person of interest. Within hours, he was elevated from person of interest to suspect.

It must be reiterated that police in Denton believe that the missing child is in grave danger — indicating a fear that the suspect may harm the child now that he’s accused of murdering the mother of the missing boy. As of 11:30 a.m., Sunday, neither the suspect nor the child have been found.

[Photo credit: Dallas News Crime Blog/Denton Police Department handout]

Share this article: AMBER Alert: Texas Woman Murdered, Child Abducted
More from Inquisitr