Missing Mom and Baby, as Well as Her Partner, Were All Found in Separate Locations — and a Suspect Is in Custody

A Pennsylvania man has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a man whose romantic partner and toddler, both reported missing, were later found dead in separate locations, authorities and family said.

Jose Luis Rodriguez, 61, is accused of killing 31-year-old Junior Cabrera-Colon , who was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head at Baer Park in Reading, Penn., around 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, according to a press release from the Reading Police Department.

During the investigation, police learned that Cabrera lived with a woman and toddler who had not been seen or heard from since Sept. 12 — one day before Cabrera’s death.

The woman, 31-year-old Geraldina Peguero-Mancebo, and her 1-year-old son, Jeyden Peguero, were listed as missing and endangered in the National Crime Database, police said.

On Sept. 18, police arrested Rodriguez, who reportedly confessed to killing Cabrera and disposing of his body along River Road.

Investigators continued searching for the mother and son. On Sept. 19, a woman later identified as Peguero was found in a grassy field in Ontelaunee Township in Berks County, the Berks County District Attorney’s Office said. Authorities said she appeared to be the victim of “foul play.”

The following day, the toddler was discovered “partially submerged in a marshy area” roughly 150 yards from where Peguero was found, according to the D.A.’s office.

An autopsy on Sept. 22 confirmed that the pair were the missing mother and son. Their deaths were ruled homicides, though officials have not released details regarding the cause.

The D.A.’s office said the investigation into the mother and son’s deaths is ongoing, with a press conference scheduled for Monday, Sept. 29.

Rodriguez is currently held at the Berks County jail on charges including first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and other criminal offenses related to Cabrera’s death. As of Sept. 24, he is not considered a suspect in the deaths of Peguero and her son.

A GoFundMe campaign seeking burial and other expenses notes that Peguero and Cabrera were married and shared four children, including 1-year-old Jeyden.

“They leave behind three orphaned children, ages 13, 10, and 8, who are currently studying in the Dominican Republic and now must face life without their mother and father,” the fundraiser reads. “Any help, big or small, will be a seed of hope for them in this painful time.”