Texas police are on the hunt for a man with a history of domestic violence who is wanted in connection to the kidnapping and killing of his ex-girlfriend.
Pasadena police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Daniel Chacon, 30, for the aggravated kidnapping of former girlfriend and mother of his child 38-year-old Maira Gutierrez, KHOU reported.
Gutierrez may have been visiting her child at the Red Bluff Road apartment complex when Chacon allegedly forced her into an SUV just before 10 a.m. Monday, Pasadena Police Sgt. Raul Granados said at a Monday press conference.
Concerned neighbors called to report the kidnapping and were able to identify both Gutierrez and Chacon.
Five hours later, officers found Gutierrez’s body in the SUV abandoned near the intersection of Mykawa Road and the South Loop. The car appeared to be run off the road and ditched at a distribution center where police said freeway barriers were stored.
Gutierrez suffered a single “gunshot wound to an unknown area of her body,” Granados said.
Chacon is still on the loose and is likely to still be armed, police said.
The couple’s child is reportedly just 5 months old and is in the custody of family.
Though Gutierrez and Chacon were not living together at the time of the fatal kidnapping, reports of disturbances and domestic violence instances had increased in recent weeks.
“So this was rapidly evolving,” said Granados.
Chacon has a history of domestic violence, according to KHOU. He was charged twice in 2012 for assaulting a family member.
In 2017, Chacon allegedly punched a woman, who claimed she was his common-law wife, in the face and put her in a chokehold until she nearly passed out. He also took her phone so she couldn’t contact help and wouldn’t let her leave, the victim said.
When asked if Granados had a message for Chacon, the officer advised the suspect to “turn himself in.”
“Don’t make it any harder on anyone. We know that this obviously is a incident involving a gun so we don’t want to put any other first responders at risk either.”
