Two people face murder charges after the body of a 2-year-old child was found in a duffel bag as the pair attempted to cross into Mexico from San Ysidro, California, according to police.
Mexican law enforcement officials contacted San Diego police around noon on Tuesday after a man, identified as John Lewis Hartley, 39, attempted to cross into Tijuana with a duffel bag that had a dead child inside, police said.
The body of a 2-year-old girl was discovered during an X-ray scan at the El Chaparral port of entry, KGTV reported.
Hartley was stopped alongside a woman, identified by authorities as Mercy Mary Becerra, 43, as they attempted the crossing. When Mexican customs agents stopped the pair, Becerra fled. She was later apprehended by Mexican law enforcement officers.
Both suspects were turned over to agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and charged with one count each of murder. The local medical examiner's office took the toddler's body to determine cause and time of death.
Police believe the child may have been killed in Whittier, a suburb of Los Angeles, where both Hartley and Bercerra are from.
Neither suspect is related to the child, according to KGTV.
San Diego police continue to investigate the case.
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