'Persons of interest' sought in 18-year-old pregnant woman's shooting death: San Antonio police
San Antonio police are asking the public to help identify two 'persons of interest' at the scene of a fatal shooting that killed a missing pregnant woman and her 22-year-old boyfriend.
Police announced Thursday that the male victim was Matthew Guerra, and investigators and family members presume the woman in the vehicle was 18-year-old Savanah Nicole Soto, who was carrying her unborn son, Fabian.
Investigators on Thursday also released surveillance footage from a residential neighborhood in San Antonio near where the bodies were discovered Tuesday evening, in an attempt to identify the two individuals who were seen near the couple's vehicle.
"We are hoping that someone is able to identify the individuals that are seen in this video," McManus said at the press conference.
Here's what we know.
Surveillance footage may piece together events leading up to shooting
In the video, the couple's Kia Optima slowly approaches a dark-colored Chevy Silverado stopping briefly to interact with the driver, who was seen exiting the vehicle.
Another individual was seen exiting the victim's Kia Optima, but it's unclear if the person leaves the area alone or with the person driving the truck. The minute-long video concludes with the Kia Optima leaving the area.
McManus would not confirm or deny whether the couple was alive or dead when the video was taken, citing an active investigation.
"Detectives right now are combing through days of surveillance video from several different locations where the victims were known to be. Detectives are hopeful that surveillance video will lead to the events leading up to their death," McManus said, adding that social media and cellphone records would also be accessed to determine the last communications with the victims.
The medical examiner determined that Guerra died from a gunshot wound to the head, but that the manner of the death was still pending, according to McManus.
The case is currently being investigated as a capital murder, unless they get information from the medical examiner that indicates otherwise, McManus said.
Investigators said the other person found in the car has been identified as “a full-term pregnant female,” according to a Facebook post by the department.
“I think we can be confident that the second victim was Savanah,” McManus said.
Family mourns loss of Soto and unborn son Fabian
A candlelight vigil with a dove release was slated for Thursday afternoon, Soto’s mother Gloria Cordova reminded potential attendees on Facebook.
“Thank you and we appreciate everybody’s love and support. Miss you my baby girl and my baby Fabian. You are now in a beautiful Paradise where there is no bad. Till we meet again,” Cordova wrote in the post.
A GoFundMe was created Wednesday to help assist the family give “Savanah and Baby Fabian the funeral they deserve,” according to the page.
“The tragic passing of Savanah Nicole Soto and Baby Fabian has brought so much pain and heartache to us all. As we all loved Savanah and Baby Fabian so much,” the fundraiser description reads.
The page has raised $10,670 as of Thursday.
The couple was reported missing the day before Christmas Eve
Soto was last seen Friday in Leon Valley, a city about 10 miles from downtown San Antonio. Soto’s family began to grow concerned when she failed to show up to a doctor’s appointment.
Soto, who was nine months pregnant, was supposed to be induced the day she went missing.
The couple was initially reported missing by Leon Valley Police Department that same day before Texas Department of Public Safety issued a Clear Alert or Coordinated Law Enforcement Adult Rescue Alert for Soto. Its purpose is to help police locate and rescue missing, kidnapped or abducted adults or adults who are in immediate danger of injury or death, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
It wasn’t immediately clear that authorities were also searching for Guerra since the alert was only issued for Soto.
Both families reached out to the San Antonio Police Department to file a missing persons report before they learned that Leon Valley had already reported the pair missing.
Officers did document details provided by family members in a San Antonio police information report, McManus said. San Antonio police responded to assistance requests from Leon Valley police around 4 p.m. Tuesday, McManus said.
Relatives from both families were on scene when authorities arrived, telling Leon Valley police officers that they had received a tip that the missing Kia Optima was located at that address.