An illegal alien is accused of an “extremely gruesome” murder of a 36-year-old mother and her four-year-old daughter in Hillsborough County, Florida, Sheriff Chad Chronister reveals.

Angel Gabriel Cuz-Choc, a 31-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, was arrested and charged with the murders of 36-year-old Amalia Coc Choc de Pec and her daughter, four-year-old Estrella Anastasia Pec Coc.

According to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, on April 24, Cuz-Choc brutally stabbed Amalia and her daughter to death. Amalia’s body was found by police officers in a pool of blood in the backyard of their residence, while Estrella’s body was found inside the residence.

“Deputies arrived on scene and immediately discovered that it was an extremely gruesome scene. Gruesome scene,” Chronister said during a press conference. “An adult female laying in the backyard of the house in her own puddle of blood. A bloody handprint that we believe was hers and she was fighting for her life trying to escape the violence.”

After arriving on the scene of the double murder, officers noticed that a suspect had fled. Following a less than 24-hour manhunt, officers found Cuz-Choc hiding in a wooded area less than two miles from the residence.

Thanks to K9 dogs finding Cuz-Choc, officers were able to take him into custody, where they said he confessed to the murders.

Cuz-Choc had been in a romantic relationship with Amalia, Chronister said, but Estrella was not his daughter. The girl’s biological father is believed to be in Guatemala.

Chronister said Cuz-Choc is believed to have crossed the United States-Mexico border about seven months ago, likely with Amalia and Estrella, before relocating to Hillsborough County.

“Not only did he commit an unimaginable crime which cruelly claimed the lives of two innocent victims, he then made the cowardly and ultimately futile attempt to evade capture,” Chronister said.

Cuz-Choc is in Hillsborough County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.