Crime & Safety
Missing Redondo Beach Teen Found In Mexico With Murder Suspect
Alora Benitez, 16, was last seen in April with her mother and her mother's ex-husband, both suspects in the killing of a man in Carson.
REDONDO BEACH, CA — A missing Redondo Beach teen was found in Mexico with her mother, who evaded arrest for three months in connection with a deadly shooting in Carson, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced Wednesday. The mother was taken into custody after authorities found her in Chihuahua, Mexico with her daughter, whose disappearance triggered an Amber Alert in April.
Maricela Mercado and her 16-year-old daughter Alora Benitez were detained Tuesday and deported to the U.S. after they entered the country illegally, the Sheriff's Department said.
Authorities said the mother and daughter were transported to the Paso Del Norte port of entry and were delivered to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Mercado was then arrested by El Paso Police Department officers following a warrant issued in Los Angeles County for the murder of Jeffrey Appel, LASD said.
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FBI Agents took custody of Alora Benitez. She will return to California and be reunited with her family, according to authorities. Mercado will remain in custody in El Paso, Texas, pending extradition to California, officials said.
Benitez went missing April 17 in Torrance and was believed to have been with Mercado and Mercado's ex-husband, 40-year-old Roman Cerratos. Mercado and Cerratos are both suspects in the killing of Jeffrey Appel, 32, whose body was found on April 16, 2019 in the front seat of a car in Carson.
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Cerratos was taken into custody and booked for murder by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on June 14.
The teen's family held a vigil in Windsor Hills in April to pray she returns home safely.
The missing girl's father, Julian Benitez Jr., told KTLA "I just need her back. I need her back in my arms."
"Alora, if you're listening, if you see any of this: Make a run for it. Call 911. Get to a phone. Ask for help. Go where there's a lot of people," her father said.
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