Authorities have charged a Los Angeles man with murder and child abuse after he allegedly killed his girlfriend and fled across the border to Mexico with their five-year-old daughter.

Ruben Fregosojuarez, 40, has been charged with one count of murder and one misdemeanor count of child abuse after allegedly killing his 36-year-old girlfriend, Marysol Garcia, on or about May 25, 2026, a press release by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.

According to an ABC7 news report, authorities discovered Garcia’s body after conducting a welfare check at their West Adams home, following the disappearance of Fregoso and their daughter, Daleza Fregoso, on Sunday morning. An Amber Alert has been issued for Daleza.

 

Authorities believe that Fregoso murdered his girlfriend and then kidnapped their daughter and fled to Mexico, where Investigators claim the suspect has family ties. NBC Los Angeles obtained surveillance footage from a parking garage in San Ysidro, which suggests that the suspect and the girl traveled south to the US-Mexico border.

Authorities said that the man was carrying a suitcase as he walked with the young girl, holding her hand, the news outlet reports. Fregoso, who has been accused of kidnapping Daleza, was spotted in a black vest, ripped jeans, and a black hat. His five-year-old daughter was dressed in a light blue shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

According to NBC Los Angeles, the California Highway Patrol notified that Fregoso’s vehicle, a 2019 Land Rover Discovery bearing California license plate 9DAW715, was later found in the parking area at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Despite locating the vehicle, officers were unable to find either the suspect or the child.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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The father-daughter duo was last seen at 4 a.m. Sunday, near Alsace Avenue and Ferndale Street in Los Angeles, the outlet reported. “The killing of a mother and the abduction of a young child is the kind of violence that shocks the entire community,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement on May 28, 2026. “I cannot imagine the grief and fear that the innocent child faced as she was allegedly snatched after her mother was killed. The defendant will face his day in court.”

 

Meanwhile, on Wednesday night, a candlelight vigil was held in the West Adams neighborhood to mourn the death of Marysol Garcia. Garcia’s 14-year-old daughter is “desperate” for her sister’s safe return, Abc7 reports. The neighbors also expressed shock and grief, describing Daleza as the “light of the neighborhood.”

The LA County District Attorney’s Office said that it would work with both federal and Mexican law enforcement to locate the suspect and child.

If convicted on both charges, Fregoso faces 25 years to life in California state prison.