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Kings County authorities find 2 young girls believed abducted safe, father in custody

PIX Now morning edition - 1/30/25
PIX Now morning edition - 1/30/25 09:54

Authorities in Kings County on Thursday confirmed that two young girls believed to have been abducted by their father after the girls' mother was fatally shot have been found safe and the father arrested.

The information regarding the development was posted on Facebook by Mederios Babb, an investigative reporter for Fresno affiliate CBS 47 who said the children were found safe. She included the following statement from the Kings County Sheriff's Office:

"The KCSO Detective Unit, with the assistance of our State and Federal law enforcement partners, have located Alana and Arya Maldonado safe and have taken Jonathan Maldonado-Cruz into custody," the statement read.  The sheriff's office also posted the statement via their X account.

CHP also confirmed that the Amber Alert had been deactivated and the girls found in a post on X late Thursday morning.

According to a press release posted by the Kings County Sheriff's Office Facebook account Wednesday, the investigation began on Tuesday afternoon when deputies were dispatched to a residence on the 11500 block of Fourth Place in Hanford after a request for a welfare check on an adult female. 

The deputies arrived at the home and found the woman deceased from a gunshot wound. Sheriff's detectives took over the investigation and and identified 23-year-old Hanford resident Jonathan Alexis Maldonado-Cruz as the suspected shooter. Authorities believe Maldonado-Cruz left the residence at approximately 1 a.m. Tuesday morning with two female children he shared with the victim.

With help from the California Highway Patrol, the sheriff's office issued an Amber Alert for the two girls -- three-year-old Arya Maldonado and two-year-old Alana Maldonado. Both girls have brown eyes and brown hair. Maldonado-Cruz left the residence driving a grey 4-door 2020 Hyundai Elantra California license plate 8LZD084 and is believed to be headed for Mexico

The Amber Alert was issued for Kings, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties, authorities said.

Anyone with additional information regarding the case is asked to contact 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 contacting (559) 852-4554.

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