MOBILE, AL | RICKEY STOKES NEWS
The man previously accused of kidnapping a Theodore mother and her two children is now facing multiple capital murder charges after three bodies believed to be the missing family were found buried in Baldwin County.
During a press conference Wednesday morning, Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said investigators recovered three bodies Wednesday afternoon in a lightly wooded area off Downing Road in Summerdale during what he described as a routine follow-up search.
Authorities believe the bodies are those of 40-year-old Aurelia Choc Cac, 17-year-old Niurka Zule-Ta Choc, and 2-year-old Anthony Garcia Choc, who had been missing since Friday, Jan. 30 from their home in Theodore.
Sheriff Burch said investigators have enough evidence to determine the bodies are the missing family, though official identification will not be made until autopsies are completed.
Hector Gamiliel Argueta Guerra, also known as “Gama,” a 27-year-old from El Salvador, had already been in custody at Metro Jail on kidnapping charges in connection with the family’s disappearance. He is now being charged with:
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three counts of capital murder during the course of a kidnapping
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three counts of capital murder during the course of a burglary
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capital murder for the death of two or more people
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capital murder for the murder of a child under the age of 14
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three counts of abuse of a corpse
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obstruction of justice for allegedly giving law enforcement a false identity to hinder the investigation
Investigators previously said they found signs of a struggle inside the family’s home, including blood. Testimony during a pre-trial hearing revealed the blood belonged to 17-year-old Niurka.
