Missing Texas Girl Slain By Relative, Cousin Charged; He Was Facing Possible Deportation Before Commission Of Crime

The missing 10-year-old Texas girl, Kayla Gomez-Orozco, was found dead inside a well days after an Amber Alert was issued for her. It is believed that her cousin by marriage, who was facing possible deportation for being an illegal immigrant, killed her.

The man was identified as Gustavo Zavala-Garcia. New York Daily News reported that he is now charged with capital murder. He is also being held on a $10 million bond.

Two years ago, Zavala-Garcia was busted regarding immigration. He was found to have illegally entered the United States after being convicted of attacking another family member.

After the attack on a family member, Zavala-Garcia was taken into custody by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Oct. 21, 2014. However, he was released on bail. The immigration proceedings against the offender were ongoing when he allegedly killed Gomez-Orozco.

Fox News Latino also reported that Zavala-Garcia will be arraigned at the Smith County courthouse on Tuesday and additional charges are expected, said Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith. Smith added that they will utilize all available assets at the local, state and federal level of law enforcement in order "to see that justice is swift and thorough for Kayla and her family."

Gomez-Orozco was reported missing on Nov. 1 after she was not seen by her family after their church services at the First Assembly of God in Bullard. Her family said that the little girl got bored, left the room, and waited in the lobby. However, when they were to check on her, she was nowhere in sight. It remains unclear what caused the death of Gomez-Orozco.

A church member claimed that she saw the suspect leave with Gomez-Orozco and his three-year-old daughter leave the area. Zavala-Garcia voluntarily surrendered himself to officials for questioning.

Meanwhile, the investigation is still ongoing. As of writing, the family of Gomez-Orozco has not yet released a statement.

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