Police search for blonde woman, newborn after triple murder suspect found dead of self-inflicted gunshot

A man suspected of kidnapping his week-old son after killing the boy’s mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother in south Miami-Dade was himself found dead across the state north of Tampa on Wednesday, police said, according to the Miami Herald.

Ernesto Caballeiro, 49, appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said, but his 7-day-old son, Andrew, was nowhere to be seen, as CrimeOnline reported earlier.

And while deputies and K9s poured over the woods near where Caballeiro’s body and the white Ford van he was driving were found, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said at an early evening news conference that the tips that led them to the van said there appeared to be a blonde woman inside as well as Caballeiro.

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“I sit here and pray to God that it is true and that she has the baby,” said the sheriff, who added that deputies are trying to work up a sketch of the woman. “If the woman is out there, please come forward. I promise you that all we care about is that that angel is okay.”

Police began the search for Caballeiro and Andrew late Tuesday after they were alerted by a relative who hadn’t been able to contact the family. Police arrived at the home and found mother, Ariety Garcia-Valdes, 40; grandmother Isabela Valdes, 60, and great-grandmother Lina Gonzalez, 84; all shot dead by a high-powered rifle, the Herald reported. Andrew was missing.

Relating to the deceased subject in Blanton: Below are pictures of the suspect’s van. If you have seen this vehicle in…

Posted by Pasco Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a statewide AMBER Alert Wednesday morning, describing the vehicle they were believed to be in as a white 2001 Chevrolet Express with the license tag HETY13. Police described the van as having several decals, one that says “Nesty School Services” and another, “Caution: Transporting Children.” They later changed the description to a Ford van.

The Herald reported that records say Caballeiro owned Nesty School Services, which transported children to a number of schools in South Dade.

Police found Caballeiro’s body about 50 yards from the van, which was abandoned on the side of a highway in Pasco County near Blanton, Florida, just after noon. Inside were receipts and a pacifier, they said.

Nocco said police are asking anyone who may have seen the van to call, as they try to retrace its route in hopes of finding Andrew.

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