Suspect ‘Brutally Murdered’ Girlfriend, Child: Hillsborough Sheriff

DOVER, FL — The suspect who “brutally murdered” a woman and child in Dover Wednesday has been arrested, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said during a news conference. (Watch the full news conference below.)

Angel Gabriel Cuz-Choc, 31, was taken into custody Thursday after an overnight manhunt, Chronister said. He was wanted on two charges of first-degree murder with a weapon.

Deputies found the 37-year-old woman, Cuz-Choc’s girlfriend, and her 5-year-old daughter stabbed to death in the 3700 block of Sumner Road around 5:30 p.m. after a neighbor called law enforcement.

The woman’s body was found outside a mobile home while the child was found inside the home, the sheriff’s office said.

Cuz-Choc, who entered the United States unlawfully from Guatemala, ran from the scene on foot. He had about a three-hour head start on investigators, Chronister said.

Deputies set up a three-mile perimeter around the murder as the agency, including its K9 Unit and Aviation Unit, searched for him overnight.

Though Cuz-Choc ran into an overgrown and heavily wooded area, a K9 unit was able to track his scent, the sheriff said.

Watch the Hillsborough County sheriff's news conference about Cuz-Choc's arrest: