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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Police Say Man Accused in Slaying May be in Mexico


Associated Press
       LAS CRUCES — A 28-year-old man who allegedly used a sword to kill his live-in girlfriend in front of the couple's children narrowly avoided investigators who tracked him from California to southern New Mexico, police said Tuesday.
    Jesus Humberto Canales is accused in the July 12 stabbing death of Lucy Preciado, 26, at their home in Lancaster, Calif. Canales fled and was still at large Tuesday.
    Las Cruces police said Canales was reportedly spotted last week at a home in Chaparral where he has family. Investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrived Monday, assuming Canales was still in the area.
    Investigators said Tuesday they have since learned Canales made his way into Mexico.
    "Our belief right now is that he is making an attempt to get back to his home country of El Salvador," Los Angeles County Sheriff's homicide Detective Jeff Leslie said.
    Las Cruces police Detective Jaime Quezada, who is part of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force that tracked Canales to Chaparral, said investigators were close to the fugitive.
    "We basically missed him by two hours from when we started doing the surveillance," Quezada said, noting that a family member had given Canales a ride out of the area.
    He said charges are possible against the family member.
    Quezada and Leslie said the search for Canales will continue.

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