Three migrants illegally residing in the United States, who have alleged connections to the violent Tren de Aragua gang, were arrested for the murder of a Texas man and the kidnapping of two children.
According to a release from the Department of Homeland Security’s Dallas Investigation office, Carl Luis Zambrano-Bolivar, 26, Jhonata Nahin Toro Gonzalez, 22, and Ehiker Morales Mendoza, 38, have been arrested and now face charges for the case.
The arrests stem from the August murder of 33-year-old Nilzuly Enrique Arneaud-Petit, whose body was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head outside Dallas. A driver passing by notified law enforcement after spotting Petit’s body on a roadside. Shortly after, police found two young children walking nearby who reportedly told officers they had been “forcibly taken by several unknown suspects” alongside Petit from an apartment complex.
Investigators believe the suspects transported Petit and the two children to an undisclosed location where Petit was ultimately executed. Following the murder, the suspects released the children and left the area.
According to the Farmers Branch Police Department, Petit was an “associate” of the suspects and was allegedly involved in a “complex ATM theft operation targeting several locations nationwide.” The suspects reportedly accused Petit of withholding stolen money, leading them to kidnap him and his children in an attempt to recover the funds.
Authorities have confirmed that the three suspects are “documented members of Tren de Aragua,” a gang with roots in Venezuela known for violent criminal operations. Two of the suspects were arrested in Aurora, Colorado, and the third was arrested in New Mexico. All three suspects are expected to be returned to Texas for prosecution.
“Violent criminal organizations and transnational gangs like Tren de Aragua are a plague upon our communities that rely on fear and violence to reign terror on hardworking and law-abiding residents,” explained HSI Dallas acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard.
“By coming together as a law enforcement community to successfully locate and arrest these fugitives across state lines, we have sent a resounding message that we are united in our efforts to dismantle these violent criminal networks and put an end to the lawlessness that they spread,” he added.
