Hispanic uncle charged in the death of a child found in a well was in the United States illegally

Smith County Sheriffs have confirmed that Gustavo Zavala-Garcia, 24, has been charged with Capital Murder for the death of Kayla Gomez-Orozco, 10. “He’s given us information from him, and we’ve been able gather enough evidence in our investigation to charge him with that crime,” said Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith. A relative of the slain little girl, Zavala-Garcia was the lone suspect in the case. He illegally entered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers first encountered and lodged a detainer on Zavala-Garcia on October 10, 2014, after he was convicted in Smith County for assaulting a family member, which caused injury. He entered ICE custody on October 21, 2014 and was released on bond the same day. Deputies found Kayla’s body at a well that sits outside Garcia’s rental house. Kayla was last seen at a church in Bullard, 100 miles southeast of Dallas. An Amber Alert was issued for her after she disappeared from a Bullard Church that evening. A $60,000 reward was offered for her return and FBI agents organized a search party with the help of community members. They gathered in the parking lot at Bullard High School to look for Kayla. Volunteers wore bright-colored clothing during their search. The Amber Alert for the missing girl was discontinued after her body was found. Smith declined to release a cause of death or a possible motive, pending charges.