Tot Found Dead In Duffel Bag At Border Drowned In Whittier
SAN DIEGO (CBSLA.com) — A young girl found dead in a duffel bag carried by a Whittier man when he crossed the border into Mexico had drowned in Whittier, prosecutors said Friday.
John Lewis Hartley, 38, and his companion, Mercy Mary Becerra, 43, pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge of murder. Each was held in lieu of $2
million bail.
San Diego County deputy district attorney Kurt Mechals says the pair knew the victim's parents but he declined to give a motive for the killing.
Becerra and Hartley entered Tijuana in a pedestrian lane about noon Tuesday, according to San Diego police. Becerra ran off as Mexican customs agents approached the pair, SDPD Lt. Ray Valentin said earlier.
Authorities chased her and took Hartley into custody. Becerra was arrested nearby a short time later, Valentin said. Mexican authorities turned the detainees over to San Diego police.
The dead child - believed to be a young girl about 2 years old - was discovered during an X-ray examination of the bag Hartley had been carrying.
Becerra and Hartley were booked into county jail on suspicion of murder and child cruelty leading to death after being interrogated by homicide detectives.
Valentin declined to disclose whether the toddler's body bore signs of suspicious injuries.
The murder case is being prosecuted in San Diego County. The defendants face a sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
