Police Report: Suspect Admits to Murdering Father from Missing Family

A Pennsylvania family that went missing earlier this month was found dead over the course of a week in different locations.

According to a press release from the City of Reading in Berks County, the case began on Sept. 12, the date that 33-year-old Junior Cabrera-Colon, his wife Geraldina Peguero-Mancebo, 30, and their 1-year-old son Jayden were last seen. The next day, Cabrera-Colon was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head near Baer Park in Reading.

After police found out that Cabrera-Colon had a wife and baby son, the remaining family members were reported missing and endangered. The bodies of both mother and son were found days later — Peguero-Mancebo on Sept. 19 and Jayden on Sept. 20.

Police stated that on Sept. 18, investigators interviewed 61-year-old Jose Luis Rodriguez, who allegedly confessed to shooting Cabrera-Colon in the head and dumping his body where it was later found. Rodriguez was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of an instrument of crime, and tampering with evidence.

Details about possible causes of death related to Peguero-Mancebo and Jayden were not made available. The Berks County District Attorney”s Office said in a press release that following an autopsy, the manner of death was ruled as homicide for both mother and son. They were both found in separate locations outside Reading in Ontelaunee Township. Peguero-Mancebo was found in a grassy field, while Jayden was found “partially submerged” in a marsh about 150 yards from where his mother was found.

No charges have been brought against Rodriguez or any other suspects in connection with the deaths of Peguero-Mancebo and Jayden. A GoFundMe page raising money to have the family’s bodies returned to their native Dominican Republic said that the couple also shared three other children, ages 8, 10, and 13 years old.

Rodriguez remains in jail without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 3 for a preliminary hearing. The Berks County District Attorney’s Office said it will provide an update to the case at a press conference on Sept. 29.