GUILTY MD - Bobbie Cortez, 36, stabbed to death, Dundalk, 6 March 2014

[MsFacetious]

Press Conference:
Working around the clock, following dozens of tips. None have panned out so far.
Getting hourly tips, following up on all of them. Will not stop until they are found.

Questions about his connection to West Virginia.
There is no evidence he went or is going to West Virginia.
They knew there was a connection so issued the Amber Alert there too.
They were simply being cautious, no evidence he went there.

Significant assistance from other law enforcement agencies (state police, marshals, FBI, etc.)
The FBI will be helping to broaden the search this afternoon, it will become a national search.
FBI is working on the logistics of this expanded search right now.

 

[MsFacetious]

Press Conference:

They are expanding the search because they haven't found him locally.
It is now reasonable to assume he has left the state.

1999 Dodge Durango, believe he is armed and may be dangerous.
Motive - far too early to speculate on a motive.
Looking at the relationships in this family and prior contact.

Please contact if you have any information that may be helpful.

 

[MsFacetious]

Press Conference:

Not certain what time Caitlyn was taken, possibly early morning yesterday but still part of the investigation.
Mom was seen alive on Wednesday but still not sure when she was last seen alive.

Dozens of tips. None panned out in the sense that they haven't been located.
"Haven't located Timothy Virts or the Dodge Durango."

Caitlynn is the real focus and they are real cautious about saying anything that might hamper their ability to accomplish that.

They don't believe he has left the state for sure, but it is reasonable to believe that he MAY have left the state.
They do not know that he has left the state, they don't know which way he went.
They just believe he may have left Maryland since they haven't found him in Maryland.

They are pulling the calls for service on the house, not sure if there is any.
The 2 adults in the house, were in the house at the time we believe the crime occurred.
They do not know the relationship with the adults yet.

 

[Amster]

Find Caitlyn safe....arrest TV....then find out WHY these children were not protected against a sex offender! :banghead:

 

[LaborDayRN]

Find Caitlyn safe....arrest TV....then find out WHY these children were not protected against a sex offender! :banghead:

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Ghostwheel]

Press Conference:

They are expanding the search because they haven't found him locally.
It is now reasonable to assume he has left the state.

1999 Dodge Durango, believe he is armed and may be dangerous.
Motive - far too early to speculate on a motive.
Looking at the relationships in this family and prior contact.

Please contact if you have any information that may be helpful.

Has anyone thought that the daughter might have been to one to kill the mother and the father actually IS trying to protect her? It would be a motive. Just a thought.

 

[KDub]

That last comment saying they don't believe Daniel Cortez charges have anything to do with this case is spinning a new direction....

 

[MsFacetious]

Press Conference:

They do not know if he is working alone or has help. But they would of course look at connections.
In a case like this it's not unusual for family to help.

Asking about the husbands sex offender status...
Our detectives do not believe there is any connection between Cortez and his criminal history and this homicide.

Cortez and his issues appear to be separate from Timothy Virts issues.
They don't believe Cortez is involved in this homicide and abduction.

No reason to believe Cortez's sexual abuse charges are related to this case.

Now a nationwide search, not sure if the Amber Alert will be expanded.

We believe that the 3 children and 2 other adults were in the home at the time that Mom was killed.

At some point Virts kills Bobbie Jo and takes Caitlyn.
No precise time when all that occurred because the detectives haven't figured that out yet.

 

[SurfieTX]

Huh. She clearly said that they do not believe Cortez' "issues" affected Virts' actions at all. I'm not sure I am buying that.

 

[MsFacetious]

Huh. She clearly said that they do not believe Cortez' "issues" affected Virts' actions at all. I'm not sure I am buying that.

I'm not buying that.
But I am still curious as to why he only took Caitlyn if all 3 kids were home. :waitasec:

 

[SilkySifaka]

Find Caitlyn safe....arrest TV....then find out WHY these children were not protected against a sex offender! :banghead:

I think the fact the mom let the dad move in is very hinky, I think if dad really killed her bc he was protecting caitlyn it would have before or at the time of the rso's arrest. I think this was a personal crime that had more to do with not getting what he wanted from mom or someone else. can"t voice my thoughts more than that

 

[SilkySifaka]

I have a worse feeling in my gut and I won't even voice it here.
I'll just pray and pray that I'm over reacting.

I have that same feeling

 

[SurfieTX]

Do we know if C's twin was a boy or a girl? The twin boys went to their grandparents at birth and it seems as if Bobby's oldest don was not Virts.

 

[SurfieTX]

Reiterating what someone else opined - please, dear God, don't let this be another Brittany Wood situation.

 

[Insomnia Momma]

Thank you for the posts on the presser! :blowkiss:

 

[baltolady]

Joce Sterman ‏@jocefromABC2 4m

NEW: Timothy Virts & Bobbie Jo Cortez had another set of twins, boys. Those twins were in grandparents custody right out of hospital in 2004

Joce Sterman ‏@jocefromABC2 2m

Court records show Virts/Cortez (then Wallace) "couldn't care for two additional infants"...already had twin girls & Bobbie Jo's other son

Answer to the gender of Caitlyn's twin.

 

[luvs2laugh]

I have a very bad feeling about Caitlyn. I pray that I am wrong. I will NEVER understand these so -called "moms" who chose sex offenders over their children. Are they really that stupid to think that these men want THEM and not their little ones? Makes me sick. These kids have been through hell and back , and now this. I am so angry I don't know what to do ..

 

[Lava]

So, if the RSO was living with them, and it was against the rules, can anyone who knew about it be charged? Relatives, friends etc? Can we make this a law?

 

[LisaB]

The whole point of the discussion is that he has a history of being arrested of "violent" crimes. IMO, just because you are not found guilty of these crimes, doesn't mean they didn't occur, people can drop the charges, as it occurred in the DV charged. It often happens. I did it once in my case, but eventually pursued it, but he was still found innocent even though he was guilty. Many times people are guilty are assault but they are found innocent in a court of law. So, to my point, he was arrested three times for violent crimes. That is three times more than anyone I know. And now there is an arrest out for murder. Even if it was trying to protect his daughter or pissed at what happen in the home, and I don't blame him, murdering someone is not the answer. IMO he has a history of rage.

In Maryland, the person making the complaint can't drop the charges. The State or County files charges, naming the victim as "complainant". Only in Civil cases is the complainant called a "Plaintiff". Even if the complainant chooses not to testify, the state can present other evidence to secure a conviction. If the allegation is the only evidence, of course, the case falls apart if the victim refuses to testify.

 

[LisaB]

Press Conference:

They are expanding the search because they haven't found him locally.
It is now reasonable to assume he has left the state.

1999 Dodge Durango, believe he is armed and may be dangerous.
Motive - far too early to speculate on a motive.
Looking at the relationships in this family and prior contact.

Please contact if you have any information that may be helpful.

The local news this morning put him in a blue compact sedan, possibly with a woman and another child.