Fourth Suspect Arrested In Possible MS-13 Related Murder Of 14-Year-Old Girl Attacked By Machete, Bat
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) — Police have arrested the fourth suspect in connection with the murder of a 14-year-old girl in Prince George's County.
18-year-old Edwin Rios of Southeast, DC is in custody in DC awaiting extradition to Prince George's County.
Three other suspects, 16-year-old Josue Fuentes-Ponce of Bladensburg, 17-year-old Joel Escobar of Northeast Washington, DC, and 14-year-old Cynthia Hernandez-Nucamendi of Lothian, Md. were arrested earlier in May after 14-year-old Ariana Funes-Diaz was found dead in a creek in Riverdale.
Courtesy: PGPD
An autopsy conducted on May 16 found that Funes died from blunt force trauma and it was ruled a homicide.
Three Teens Charged In Possible MS-13 Related Murder Of 14-Year-Old Girl Attacked By Machete, Bat
On April 18, the four suspects and the victim all drove together to an apartment complex in the 6300 block of 64th Avenue in Riverdale.
The group then allegedly walked into a wooded area behind the complex where they assaulted her with a machete and baseball bat, officials said. She then died from her injuries.
Police said they believed she planned to go to the police about a crime they had all committed on April 17 in Washington, DC.
They added that Fuentes-Ponce and Escobar are members of an MS-13 clique based out of Prince George's County.
The three arrested suspects are all charged with first-degree murder and related charges. Escobar and Hernandez-Nucamendi are in the custody of the Department of Corrections on a no-bond status. Ponce is in custody at the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center.