Authorities in Central California have issued an Amber Alert for two young sisters who are missing and feared to be in danger after their mother was found murdered in their home. The California Highway Patrol issued the alert Wednesday afternoon for 3-year-old Arya Maldonado and 2-year-old Alana Maldonado. Their mother was discovered deceased on Tuesday.
Law enforcement officials suspect the girls' father, 23-year-old Jonathan Alexis Maldonado-Cruz of Hanford, abducted them in connection with their mother's death. Kings County Sheriff's deputies responded to a welfare check at a Hanford residence, located approximately 40 miles south of Fresno, around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 28th. They found the woman deceased from a gunshot wound.
According to police, Maldonado-Cruz left the residence with his daughters in a gray 2020 Hyundai Elantra four-door sedan bearing California license plate 8LZD084. He is considered armed and dangerous, and investigators believe he may have fled to Mexico.
Maldonado-Cruz is described as a Hispanic male, 5'9" tall, weighing 215 pounds, with black hair and black eyes. Arya is described as 3 feet tall, weighing 25 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Alana is described as 2 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 20 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. The clothing of the girls and their father is unknown.
Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances surrounding the mother's death or how Maldonado-Cruz was identified as a suspect. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Maldonado-Cruz or the children is urged to contact Detective Tyler Haener at (559) 670-9320 or (559) 852-2818, or the Kings County Sheriff's Dispatch at (559) 852-2720.
