A man and woman are suspected of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of two children whose remains were found encased in concrete in a storage unit and inside a suitcase in the trunk of an abandoned vehicle, according to the Pueblo Police Department.
Police arrested Corena Rose Minjarez, 36, on Thursday on suspicion of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the deaths of Yesenia Dominguez and Jesus Dominguez Jr., the department said in a news release Friday.
Investigators are seeking the whereabouts of Jesus Dominguez, 35, who is wanted on suspicion of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse.
Pueblo police began investigating the case Jan. 20 after receiving a call about a suspicious-looking metal container filled with hardened concrete in a storage unit in the 600 block of West Sixth Street.
Investigators determined the remains of a young girl were encased in the container and interviewed Minjarez and Dominguez on Jan. 31. They told investigators it was possible the children were in Phoenix. Jesus Dominguez was arrested on an unrelated warrant.
On Feb. 6, investigators obtained a search warrant for a car belonging to Minjarez at a local scrap yard and found a suitcase with the remains of a young boy in the trunk.
DNA test results confirmed Thursday that the remains belonged to the two children, according to the department.
The children were last seen in summer 2018, when Yesenia was 3 years old and Jesus was 5 years old. No missing persons reports were ever filed for the children, according to the department.
Mijarez is in custody at the Pueblo Detention Center on $2 million bail.
Anyone with information about Jesus Dominguez’s whereabouts can contact Pueblo police dispatch at 719-553-2502.
