Kings County kids found safe, father in custody for mother's murder, officials say
KINGS COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two children who were taken from their home in Kings County have been found safe after their mother was killed earlier this week.
The Kings County Sheriff's Office says a two-year-old girl and a three-year-old girl were taken from the home by their father, 23-year-old Jonathan Alexis Maldonado-Cruz.
Maldonado-Cruz is suspected of shooting and killing the girls' mother, 22-year-old Madeline Rose Cuevas, in the home near Fourth Place and Orchard Drive.
Detectives believe the shooting happened sometime late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, giving Maldonado-Cruz about a 15-hour head start on authorities.
The FBI began tracking Maldonado-Cruz's cellphone, finding that he had already crossed the border into Mexico.
The sheriff's office worked with authorities in Mexico and Maldonado-Cruz's mother to negotiate with him about returning the girls.
On Thursday, Maldonado-Cruz handed the girls over to law enforcement at the border crossing in San Ysidro, just south of San Diego.
Maldonado-Cruz was taken into custody and the girls will be reunited with family.
Cuevas' family has created a GoFundMe to help provide care for her daughters.
Stay with ABC30 for the latest details on this developing story.
If you are the victim of domestic abuse, or you know someone who is, there is help available 24/7. In Fresno County, call the Marjaree Mason Center at (559) 233-4357. In all other locations, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.
