Amber Alert issued for two children after father suspected of killing mother in Hanford
An Amber Alert has been issued for a man suspected of killing a woman and abducting two girls in Hanford in Central California.
Kings County deputies went to do a welfare check after receiving a call around 4 p.m. Tuesday from family members who were unable to get hold of the victim. Deputies arrived and did a forced entry and found a woman with a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead.
Deputies believe the shooting happened at 1 a.m. Tuesday. Deputies identified the suspected shooter as 23-year-old Jonathan Alexis Maldonado-Cruz of Hanford.
They said he took two girls, ages 2 and 3, and fled in a 2020 Hyundai Elantra with California license plate number 8LZD084.
Deputies believe the suspect is en route to Mexico. The sheriff’s office is working with Mexican authorities to locate him if he’s in the country, Kings County spokesman Andrew Mazza said.
Mazza said a gun hasn’t been located and deputies are unsure if Maldonado-Cruz is in possession of any other weapons.
Maldonado-Cruz is described to be 5-foot-9 and 215 pounds with black hair and black eyes.
_fitted.jpeg "image1 (3)_fitted.jpeg")
The victim and suspect are the parents of the two children though they are ex-girlfriend and ex-boyfriend, Mazza said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Tyler Haener at 559-670-9320 or 559-852-2818 or Kings County Sheriff’s Dispatch at 559-852-2720. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling 559-852-4554.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 11:17 AM.
