A 50-year-old man and his 49-year-old cousin were taken into custody in Kansas about two weeks after his wife was reported missing and later found dead.
Karla Aguilera’s children reported her missing to the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 6 after not seeing or hearing from her in several days. She was reportedly last seen Sept. 4 at approximately 6 a.m.
Valencia County Det. Rashad Pearson spoke at a press conference Monday, Sept. 19, and said Aguilera’s disappearance “was suspicious by nature.” Investigators from Valencia County received information leading them to Torrance County, where Aguilera was discovered deceased on Sept. 14.
The investigation then led detectives to Kansas, where Aguilera’s husband, Rosalio Aguilera-Gamboa, and his cousin, Maria Guadalupe Nevarez-Aguilera, were arrested Sept. 17. They are both being held without bond in Kansas on several charges related to the case in New Mexico.
Reports show Aguilera-Gamboa faces charges of open murder, tampering with evidence, and child abuse. The autopsy reportedly showed Aguilera had been shot four times and died from a gunshot wound.