U.S. Customs And Border Patrol Agent, David Ortiz Arrested On Suspicion Of Being A Serial Killer After The Death Of Four Women

Texas state officer arrested a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Saturday, who they say went on a two-week serial killing spree that left four female sex workers dead and ended only when a fifth woman escaped from him at a gas station and found help.

Juan David Ortiz, 35, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, fled from state troopers and was found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo at around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellarsaid at a news conference.

Cuellar said investigators have “very strong evidence” that he is responsible for the deaths of the four women working as prostitutes. One of the victims was a transgender woman, said Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz.

“We do consider this to be a serial killer. When she tried to escape from him at a gas station that’s when she ran into a (state) trooper,” Alaniz said.

Ortiz will be charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping, Alaniz said. He said that authorities believe Ortiz had killed all four women since Sept. 3. The names of the victims were not immediately released. Alaniz said two of them were U.S. citizens but the nationalities of the other two were not yet known. “The manner in which they were killed is similar in all the cases from the evidence,” said Alaniz.

Alaniz said investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the killings. Cuellar said investigators believe Ortiz acted alone.  “It’s interesting that he would be observing and watching as law enforcement was looking for the killer, that he would be reporting to work every day like normal,” Alaniz said.

Ortiz was a 10-year veteran of the Border Patrol. U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a statement saying that it was fully co-operating with the investigation.