Four suspected MS-13 gang members were arrested and charged with the murder of a teenage boy whose body was found in a Maryland park, according to a report.
According to ABC7 News, 18-year-old Jose Merlos-Majano, 21-year-old Alan Josai Garcia-Padilla, 19-year-old William Cuellar Gutierrez, and “an unidentified 17-year-old,” were charged with the murder of Jefferson Amaya-Ayala, 14.
The outlet reportedly “confirmed through a source that the crime is linked to the MS-13 gang.”
Three of the suspects charged in connection with Amaya-Ayala’s death are from Washington, DC, while the unnamed 17-year-old is from Hyattsville, Maryland, according to a press release from the Prince George’s County Police Department.
Per the press release, on November 3, 2025, “human remains were located during a search of Indian Creek Stream Valley Park in College Park.” The remains were later “positively identified as Amaya-Ayala.”
Amaya-Ayala’s death was ruled a homicide, according to the press release:
On November 3, 2025, while assisting the Metropolitan Police Department and FBI Cross Border Task Force with a missing persons investigation, what appeared to be possible human remains were located during a search of Indian Creek Stream Valley Park in College Park. The remains were sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) which were subsequently positively identified as Amaya-Ayala. The OCME ruled the victim died from multiple injuries and the manner ruled a homicide.
Through various investigative techniques during this exhaustive investigation, detectives identified the four suspects. The preliminary investigation suggests the victim was lured to the park and murdered on August 2, 2025. The victim knew at least one of the four suspects. This murder appears gang-related however the motive remains under investigation.
According to the press release, “Cuellar Gutierrez and the 17-year-old suspect are in custody of the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections,” while Merlos-Majano is currently in custody in the District of Columbia. Garcia-Padilla is reportedly currently “in custody” in Alexandria, Virginia.
Maryland State Del. Matt Morgan (R) responded to the news by pointing out that this week, “the Maryland Senate will hear two bills to stop ICE from arresting criminal illegal aliens.”
“This coming Thursday, the Maryland Senate will hear two bills to stop ICE from arresting criminal illegal aliens,” Morgan wrote in a post on X. “Why are Annapolis Democrats on the side of murdering gang members instead of citizens?”