In a chilling and bizarre case out of rural Texas, police are looking for a 14-year-old girl who went missing around 1 am Saturday. The following day, her father’s body was found burned in a field. The man had apparently been shot to death. Police say the girl, Adriana Coronado, is likely in grave danger.
Coronado went missing from Katy, a small city near Houston; the following day, the remains of her father, Cesar Coronado, were discovered in a rural part of Walker County, nearly 80 miles north from their home. Police say they believe Coronado was with her father at the time of his death, issuing an Amber Alert that says she is in “grave or immediate danger.”
Earlier this week, a specialized child abduction unit from the FBI flew in to assist with the investigation:
On Friday, authorities released a video of an unidentified person of interest, in the case, a heavyset man seen leaving Cesar Coronado’s truck in a neighborhood in the nearby town of Conroe. From CBS:
The truck is driven off screen and a few seconds later, a burst of light can be seen coming from the direction of the truck. Authorities believe the burst of light was when the truck was set on fire. The man can be seen running away from the direction of the truck and later seen running down an alley.
The girl’s mother, Adriana Cavazos, is recovering from surgery in Mexico. In an emotional interview, she said her husband, a carpenter, had no enemies, and pleaded for the return of her child:
“We never have enemies. And I ask myself why do this to my husband. But if my husband has enemies, I didn’t know anything. But I assure you guys that my daughter is innocent. Please do not hurt my daughter,” she said. “Please be merciful to my daughter. And please return my daughter alive.”
Coronado is in ninth grade at Mayde High School, where one of her friends recalled texting with her earlier on the day of her disappearance. His last message to her has not been read, he told ABC 13.
The Amber Alert says Coronado is 5 feet tall, weighing 105 pounds, with brown eyes and usually wearing black framed glasses. Police don’t know why the father and daughter were in Walker County.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Walker County Sheriff’s Office, 936-435-2400.
Adriana Coronado. Screenshot via ABC 13