Dad, Mom and Baby Found Dead in Different Locations: What We Know

A married couple and their child were found dead in different locations in Pennsylvania earlier this month, and a man was charged with murder after he confessed to killing one of them. 

The Reading Police Department said Junior Cabrera-Colon, 31, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in the brush along River Road on September 13. 

The Berks County District Attorney’s Office said Geraldina Peguero-Mancebo, 31, was found dead in a field adjacent to East Huller Lane in Ontelaunee Township on September 19.  

The body of her son, 1-year-old Jeydon Junior Peguero, was found partially submerged in a marshy area the next day. He was located approximately 150 yards west of where Peguero-Mancebo was found. 

The Reading Police Department said Jose Luis Rodriguez, 61, confessed to killing Cabrera-Colon. He was charged with first degree murder, abuse of a corpse and related crimes. 

A suspect has not been identified in the deaths of Peguero-Mancebo and Peguero. 

The Context

A GoFundMe for the family said Cabrera-Colon and Peguero-Mancebo were married and had four children together, including their 1-year-old son. 

“With broken hearts, we share the most painful tragedy our family has faced,” organizer Loribel Nunez wrote on the fundraising page. 

What To Know 

Police said that Peguero-Mancebo and Peguero had not been seen or heard from since September 12, one day before Cabrera-Colon was found dead. The mother and son were entered as endangered missing persons in the National Crime Database. 

The deaths of Peguero-Mancebo and Peguero were ruled homicides after autopsies were performed on Monday. 

The Reading Police Department said Rodriguez was determined to be a suspect in Cabrera-Colon’s killing. He was interviewed by an investigator on September 18. Police said he confessed to killing Cabrera-Colon and dumping his body along River Road. 

He is currently in Berks County Prison, according to the Reading Police Department. 

Rodriguez was a co-signer on the family’s lease, according to court documents obtained by NBC Philadelphia. Rodriguez said the deadly shot resulted from a struggle after Cabrera-Colon pulled a gun on him, according to the court documents obtained by the outlet. 

Heinel Medrano, a cousin of Peguero-Mancebo, told the outlet that the couple moved to the U.S. two years ago in search of a better life. 

“I want to give people this type of calling,” Medrano said. “Be careful who you let inside to your house.” 

What People Are Saying  

Heinel Medrano, a cousin of Geraldina Peguero-Mancebo, in comments to NBC Philadelphia: “There’s three lives, a complete family, that have no parents right now.” 

Loribel Nunez, organizer of a GoFundMe for the family, on the fundraising page: “Any help, big or small, will be a seed of hope for them in this painful time … Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers and your solidarity.” 

What Happens Next 

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Berks County Detective’s Office at 610-478-7171, the Reading Police Department at (610) 655-6116 or Crime Alert Berks County at (877) 373-9913. 

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