Four illegal migrants, who are members of the notorious MS-13 gang, have been charged with the allegedly brutal murder of a 14-year-old boy in a Maryland park.
According to Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson, Jose Merlos-Majano, 18; Alan Josai Garcia-Padilla, 21; William Cuellar Gutierrez, 19; and a 17-year-old have been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and participation in a criminal organization.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) verified that all four indictees are MS-13 gang members and illegal aliens.
Jefferson Amaya-Ayala, 14, from Washington, D.C., was reported missing on August 2, 2025. Nearly three months later, on November 3, Prince George’s County police revealed that they had discovered “what appeared to be possible human remains” in a park in the county.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) later identified Amaya-Ayala’s remains and ruled that he died of “multiple injuries,” calling the death a homicide.
Detectives used their investigation to identify the four suspects in the suspected homicide. According to the preliminary investigation, Amaya-Ayala “was lured” to the park and murdered on August 2.
Police stated the kid “knew at least one of the four suspects,” and that the murder appeared to be gang-related. However, the motivation is still being investigated.
Merlos-Majano was recognized by the DHS as a Salvadoran national suspected of being associated with MS-13. DHS claimed he was previously detained in Washington, D.C., on charges of defacing public property and possessing a prohibited weapon after allegedly spray-painting MS-13 gang symbols on homes.
Garcia-Padilla, 21, a Salvadoran national accused of being an MS-13 member, had previously been convicted in the District of Columbia Superior Court of attempted unlawful possession of ammunition, according to the DHS. According to DHS, he also possessed fake documents such as a lawful permanent resident card and a Social Security card. The government stated that Garcia-Padilla was freed from custody during the Biden administration.
The Department of Homeland Security also identified Cuellar Gutierrez as a Salvadoran national and alleged MS-13 member. He had previously been arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia on several weapons-related charges, including possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, possession of an unregistered firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, carrying a pistol without a license in a gun-free zone, and possession of unregistered ammunition.
The DHS stated that he was freed from custody during the Biden administration.
A fourth person, aged 17, has also been charged.
