Man suspected of killing girlfriend, taking 2 children could be in Mexico, officials say

HANFORD, Calif. -- An Amber Alert is in place for two missing children after their mother was found dead in Hanford on Tuesday.

Around 4 pm, deputies found a woman dead from a gunshot wound in a home near Fourth Place and Orchard Drive.

The Kings County Sheriff's Office says the woman's daughters, two-year-old Alana and three-year-old Arya, were taken from the home by their father, 23-year-old Jonathan Alexis Maldonado-Cruz.

Maldonado-Cruz is suspected of shooting and killing 22-year-old Madeline Rose Cuevas, who has been identified by her father. He says that Madeline would have been 23 on Valentine's Day.

Investigators say Maldonado-Cruz left the home around 1 a.m. in a grey-colored 2020 Hyundai Elantra with the California license plate 8LZD084.

Maldonado-Cruz is described as 5'9", 215 pounds, with black hair and eyes.

Authorities describe Arya as 3' tall, 25 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair.

Alana is described as 2'5", 20 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair.

The Kings County Sheriff's Office believes that Maldonado-Cruz could be in Mexico.

Deputies say the FBI and Mexican authorities are helping track him down.

Investigators say Maldonado-Cruz is considered armed and dangerous as the gun used in the shooting is missing.

Anyone with information about Maldonado-Cruz's whereabouts is asked to call the Kings County Sheriff's Office at (559) 852-2720.

You can also provide information anonymously by calling (559) 852-4554.