Mexican authorities working with Kings County Sheriff in parental abduction case

HANFORD, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Mexican authorities are working with the Kings County Sheriff’s Office after deputies believe the suspected killer of a woman in Hanford, who also took her kids, could have fled to Mexico.

At around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, deputies were called to a home on Fourth Place near Orchard Drive for a welfare check.

Deputies say the victim’s family was concerned after she didn’t answer the phone and that raised red flags.

“She didn’t answer the door and they had a feeling something was wrong. And I’m not 100% sure why they had that feeling at this time. So they called the sheriff’s office, and while deputies were heading to the scene, the family made entry into the house,” Sgt. Andrew Mazza with the Kings County Sheriff’s Office said.

They found 22-year-old Madeline Rose Cuevas fatally shot.

Her two daughters, two-year-old Alana and three-year-old Arya were nowhere to be found.

“Deputies arrived on scene determined she was deceased from a gunshot wound,” Mazza said.

Mazza says the suspect, 23-year-old Jonathan Alexis Maldonado-Cruz, had fled the scene.

They believe he might be trying to escape into Mexico.

“It is very concerning that he is currently on the run and has potentially a firearm or access to firearms,” Mazza said.

An Amber alert has been issued for Maldonado-Cruz, who left the home in a grey 2020 Hyundai Elantra with the California license plate 8LZD084.

The sheriff’s office described Maldonado as 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 215 pounds with black hair and black eyes.

Mazza says this is the first homicide of 2025 for the Kings County Sheriff’s office, and adds this investigation is particularly troubling.

“The parental abduction portion is very unusual and uncommon for our area. And that is of high concern, of course,” Mazza said.

They say the FBI and Mexican authorities are trying to track him down and bring Alana and Arya back to safety.

“Of course, we would like to arrest the suspect and bring, prosecute or bring an arrest and hopefully prosecution for the family. But right now, our main concern is locating and the children,” Mazza said. 

Anyone with information about where Maldonado-Cruz is located is asked to contact the Kings County Sheriff’s Office.