Houston authorities arrested two alleged gang members from El Salvador, both in the U.S. illegally, on charges of kidnapping three girls and killing one of them in what was described as a satanic ritual, police said.
Law enforcement officials identified the suspects as Miguel Alvarez-Flores, 22, and Diego Hernandez-Rivera, 18, of the MS-13 gang. Both are jailed on $300,000 bonds and are facing charges of aggravated kidnapping and murder, The Associated Press reported.
The body of a 15-year-old girl was found last month with gunshots to the face and chest. While her identity is still unknown, police believe that she’s a missing teenager from Jersey Village, Texas, and the victim of gang violence.
The other two kidnap victims were 14 and 16 years old, police said. The 14-year-old told investigators that gang members forced drugs and alcohol on the girls and forced them to have sex.
She also said the 15-year-old was killed in a satanic ritual after the teen got angry and lashed out at the gang’s shrine to a satanic saint.
An FBI anti-gang task force is still investigating the crimes and is searching for other gang members who might have been involved in the kidnappings and murder.
The gang, known as MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, is now a major international criminal enterprise, according to law enforcement agencies. It’s believed that the gang was formed in the 1980s by immigrants fleeing the civil war in El Salvador.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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