Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz and Glendy Marisol González de la Cruz were found fatally shot in a remote sugarcane field, while their 1-year-old daughter was found alive nearby

A couple who reunited in Guatemala after the husband was deported from the U.S. were found fatally shot in a sugarcane field.

Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz, 43, and his wife, Glendy Marisol González de la Cruz, 25, who most recently lived in Overland, Mo., were found dead outside the city of Retalhuleu in southwestern Guatemala, where the couple’s 1-year-old daughter was discovered alive beside them, Reuters reported.

Guatemalan police said Pérez Paz and González de la Cruz were found with their hands tied behind their backs. Pérez Paz appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound to the neck, while González de la Cruz had a wound to the head, Reuters reported, citing Guatemalan authorities. Police also recovered shell casings, a shoe and a motorcycle from the scene, according to Reuters.

Guatemala’s Public Ministry said the couple’s three children were placed in the care of extended family members after the killings, Reuters reported. Prosecutors are investigating the deaths and have not publicly identified a suspect or motive.

The deaths came weeks after González de la Cruz returned to Guatemala with the couple’s three daughters to reunite with Pérez Paz, who had been deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being detained in Missouri last year.

According to St. Louis Public Radio, Pérez Paz and his brother, Rolando Pérez Paz, were stopped by ICE while driving to work last year. An ICE spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that agents arrested Pérez Paz because he was unlawfully present in the United States.

After Pérez Paz’s deportation, González de la Cruz remained in Missouri with the couple’s children before deciding to return to Guatemala to reunite with her husband, according to St. Louis Public Radio.

“I felt that they took the thing I wanted most,” Rolando Pérez Paz told the outlet. “I felt a huge pain because it was my brother, my sister-in-law — people that wanted to work, to fight.”

He added: “If immigration hadn’t picked up my brother, my sister-in-law would still be alive, and the children wouldn’t be going through this sorrow. Unfortunately, immigration — the (U.S.) government — doesn’t see that. It makes no difference to them.”

Overland Mayor Marty Little said he learned of the couple’s deaths through news reports and later said the city had not been notified before, during or after the ICE operation that led to Pérez Paz’s arrest.

“We were not notified; we didn’t know what was going on,” Little told the outlet. “They were in Overland and left without us knowing about it.”

Little said unannounced federal immigration operations can create public safety concerns because local police officers are unaware an operation is taking place.

“Seeing the end result here should put everything in perspective as to what this situation is,” he said. “To know that somebody’s fear, status notwithstanding, they might be here for a reason. There’s an impact there that would cause bodily harm to them — or ultimately death in this situation.”

A candlelight vigil honoring Pérez Paz and González de la Cruz is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Aug. 2 outside Overland City Hall, according to St. Louis Public Radio.

Source: https://people.com/couple-found-dead-in-guatemala-weeks-after-husband-s-u-s-deportation-12029757