A father and son have been arrested in connection with the death of pregnant teenager Savanah Soto and her boyfriend who were found shot dead in San Antonio.
Christopher Preciado, 19, was arrested and charged with capital murder, while his father, 53-year old Ramon Preciado was charged with abuse of a corpse for helping his son move the bodies after 18-year-old Savanah Soto and her boyfriend 22-year-old Matthew Guerra were found dead inside a car on 26 December, police said.
Both Ms Soto and Mr Guerra died from a gunshot wound to the head.
An unborn baby was also found dead inside the car, which belonged to Ms Soto, KSAT reported.
Police Sgt Washington Moscoso added that Ramon did not participate in the murders, which happened on 21 December, just before midnight.
He said more charges are possible with respect to the unborn baby.
A multi-day search for the couple was launched last week after their families became alarmed when Ms Soto did not turn up on Saturday for an appointment to have her labour induced.
The couple disappeared a day before Ms Soto, who was nine months pregnant, was scheduled to be induced to give birth.
Police then asked for the public’s help finding “two persons of interest” in the case.
Chilling footage released by police on Thursday captured the couple’s Kia Optima and a dark-coloured pickup truck with a bed cover. Police said that one person of interest was driving the Kia Optima and the other the pickup truck.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told reporters that none of the victims are visible in the footage.
The police chief would not confirm whether or not the video was believed to have been captured before or after the murders took place.
Sgt Moscoso said a botched drug deal was apparently involved in the murders.
He added that a key piece of evidence was recovered from Ms Soto’s cellphone, which pointed authorities to the possible location of the pickup truck, and ultimately to the two suspects’ home.
Following the couple’s disappearance, family members offered conflicting theories about what might have happened.
Soto’s sister-in-law alleged that she was being abused. “i won’t allow you to be one of those statistics of what happens when u have an abusive boyfriend,” she wrote on social media, in a post viewed by The New York Post.
Her mother also posted on Facebook: “I’m worried about her safety she is [with] her boyfriend who is no good.”
But according to the NY Post, Guerra’s mother wrote on social media: “If anyone knows my son Matthew Guerra he and his pregnant girlfriend are missing. I know my son and he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”
Gloria Cordova told KHOU her daughter was excited to be a new mother.
“Savanah was so, so happy because she was going to be a mommy. It breaks my heart,” she said.
