Bodies Of Missing Garden Grove Couple Believed To Be Found In Tijuana, Son-In-Law Arrested

GARDEN GROVE (CBSLA) — The bodies of a Garden Grove couple missing after visiting Tijuana were believed to have been found Friday and the couple's son-in-law was arrested, according to Mexican authorities.

Jesus Guillen, 70, and Maria Lopez, 68, drove their pickup truck into Tijuana to collect rent from their tenants and were supposed to return Friday Jan. 10, police said.

When the couple didn't return, their adult daughter became concerned and used a "Find My Phone" service to track down her parents. The app showed the couple was still at their property in Tijuana.

The couple's daughter was in Tijuana helping with the search.

On Friday, Mexican authorities found two bodies buried in mud at the couple's property. One of the bodies was identified as a male and are working to determine the sex of the second body.

During a Friday press conference, Mexican authorities said they arrested a man identified as Santiago N. Mexican prosecutors said the suspect is the couple's son-in-law, who was deported from the United States in 2012 after serving time in jail for theft. Investigators said they believe the suspect wanted to stage a kidnapping in order to collect ransom.

"They didn't deserve it," one neighbor said. "They were really good people."

Mexican authorities were still investigating the cause of death.

Prosecutors in Mexico were still waiting on autopsy results to determine cause of death and to positively identify the bodies.