Griselda Alicia Hernandez Cantu, a 35-year-old Hispanic woman, was identified as the fourth victim in a series of killings that took place in Laredo, Texas. Her body was discovered on September 15, 2018, just after 1 a.m. along Interstate Highway 35 near mile marker 21. Authorities confirmed her identity following an autopsy. The Texas Ranger Division and the Webb County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into her death, which was part of a larger case involving multiple victims.
Law enforcement officials arrested Juan David Ortiz, a 35-year-old U.S. Border Patrol agent, in connection with the killings. Ortiz was charged with four counts of murder, one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful restraint, and evading arrest or detention. Authorities allege that Ortiz carried out a killing spree between September 3 and September 15, targeting women he knew in some capacity. His victims included Melissa Ramirez, 29, Claudine Ann Luera, 42, and Nikki Enriquez, 28, all of whom were found dead within miles of each other. A fifth woman managed to escape and alerted authorities, leading to Ortiz's arrest.
Ortiz, who had served in the U.S. Navy from 2001 to 2009 before joining U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2009, was taken into custody at the Webb County jail with a bond set at $2.5 million. Investigators have not publicly disclosed a motive for the killings, but they noted that Ortiz expressed disdain for the community his victims represented. Authorities also revealed that Ortiz had an arsenal of weapons at his home and attempted 'suicide by cop' before being apprehended. His arrest marked the end of a chilling series of crimes that shook the Laredo community.
