Southland Man, Woman Arrested at Mexico Border with Toddler's Body in Duffel Bag

SAN DIEGO, CA — A Los Angeles County man and woman who allegedly attempted to enter Mexico on Tuesday while carrying a duffel bag with a dead child in it were arrested on suspicion of murdering the toddler, according to San Diego police.

Homicide Lt. Ray Valentin said San Diego police responded to the San Ysidro Port of Entry around noon on Tuesday after they were contacted by Mexican authorities regarding the apprehension of a male who had a deceased child inside a duffel bag.

Mexican authorities had denied the male suspect, identified as 39-year-old Whittier, California, resident Johnny Lewis Hartley, entry into Mexico after an X-ray of the duffel bag he was carrying allegedly revealed a dead child, a girl about 2 years old, inside. Hartley was held by officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection until San Diego police arrived and took custody of him, while the San Diego Medical Examiner's Office took custody of the dead child.

Valentin said the female suspect, Mercy Mary Becerra, 43, also of Whittier, tried to enter Mexico alongside Hartley but ran off when they were stopped by Mexican customs agents. A short time later, though, Becerra was apprehended by Mexican authorities and turned over to U.S. authorities.

According to Valentin, detectives interviewed the pair and subsequently booked each of them into jail on suspicion of one count of murder. Both are tentatively scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, jail records show.

The relationship between Hartley, Becerra and the child was not immediately clear. Because San Diego detectives believe the child may have died in Whittier, Valentin said they are working closely with Whittier police detectives in the investigation.

Anyone with information related to the case was encouraged to call the San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

—By Maggie Avants, Patch Staff