AL AL - Aurelia Choc Cac 40, Anthony Garcia Choc 2, Niurka Zuleta Choc 17, signs of struggle in home, ex-boyfriend cleared, Mobile, 30 Jan 2026 *arrest*

[imstilla.grandma]

An afternoon news conference held by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and federal investigators did not provide an answer to where the Choc family is, but officials released additional information about Argueta Guerra, who is being held at Metro

Multiple agencies issue update on investigation of missing Mobile family

More than three weeks after a mother and her two children disappeared from their Mobile County home, investigators say the family still has not been found, even

mynbc15.com

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Kidnapping suspect linked to Sureños gang; local law enforcement says no known presence in Mobile, Baldwin counties

Man accused of taking mother, two children is an alleged known gang member with international criminal warrants.

www.fox10tv.com

The man charged with kidnapping a mother and her two children is a known member of the Sureños, a transnational criminal street gang, according to Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch.

Hector Gamaliel Argueta-Guerra — who told authorities his name was Juan Carlos — is accused of taking Aurelia Choc-Cac and her two children, Niurka and Anthony. The family has now been missing for nearly a month. Argueta-Guerra is from El Salvador and has outstanding warrants in his home country for alleged terrorism and organized crime. He is currently held at Mobile Metro Jail and has not told investigators where the family is.

*****
The Sureños, Spanish for “Southerners,” originated in Southern California. The gang pays tribute to the Mexican Mafia and also goes by the name Sur 13, according to the FBI. In 2011, the group was said to be expanding faster than any other national-level gang in the United States.

*****

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Authorities: Suspect in Theodore family abduction has gang ties and violent criminal history in El Salvador, was never deported

New documents reveal Salvadoran man's criminal past as missing family search enters 24th day

www.fox10tv.com

The man accused of abducting a Theodore mother and her two children used an alias at the time of his arrest and is a documented member of a violent street gang, local and federal investigators said.

The suspect’s real name is Hector Gamaliel Argueta-Guerra — not Juan Carlos Argueta-Guerra, as previously reported.

*****
Newly released documents detail Argueta-Guerra’s criminal history in El Salvador. In 2015, he was the subject of an attempted aggravated homicide investigation as a juvenile. That same year, U.S. records show he was detained in Texas for being in the country illegally but was released after one month.

Argueta-Guerra also faces active warrants in El Salvador for terrorism and organized crime from 2016, 2018 and 2024.

*****
Temporary Protected Status is a federal designation that, at the time, blocked deportations to El Salvador — meaning even after a judge ordered Argueta-Guerra removed from the U.S., authorities could not send him back.

*****
Burch said additional persons of interest have been identified in the case. One of those individuals is Anthony’s father, who had plans to travel to the area to retrieve his son but was arrested in Texas before doing so. Investigators said he has not been ruled out.

*****

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“He’s clearly a much more dangerous individual than what we originally thought,” Burch said of Argueta-Guerra at the conference

We do believe the mother, daughter and son were taken against their will and we believe they could be in danger,” the sheriff’s office said at the time

At the February 24 news conference, where U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials were present, law enforcement said that Argueta-Guerra, 27, is from El Salvador and is an alleged member of Los Surenos, a transnational gang linked to the country, according to WKRG.

He is accused of having a violent criminal history in El Salvador, where he was allegedly involved in an attempted homicide and took part in alleged terrorist activity linked to organized crime, officials said, the TV station reported.

Alabama Family Still Missing as Sheriff Gives Details on Kidnapping Suspect

An Alabama mother, Aurelia Choc Cac, and her children remain missing after a man was arrested on kidnapping charges, according to authorities, who've shared more details

www.usmagazine.com

 

[Unalienable Rights]

https://www.wkrg.com/crime/judge-enough-evidence-to-send-suspect-in-missing-choc-family-to-grand-jury/

March 2, 2026

Testimony reveals blood found at a home in Mobile County belonged to a missing 17-year-old girl.

This new development comes as the man charged with kidnapping the girl and two family members returns to court.

*****
WKRG News 5’s Kate Sherman is live in downtown Mobile, where a hearing just wrapped up.

The judge ruled there’s enough evidence to send this case to a grand jury.

Prosecutors say they now know the suspect’s true identity.

After sorting through several aliases, they say Hector Guerra is the man charged with kidnapping the Choc family of Theodore.

Prosecutors had to dig through his criminal record from El Salvador, which includes charges of attempted homicide and terrorism.

*****
In court today, a detective testified that the 17-year-old’s blood was found throughout the family’s home on Ben Hamilton Road, including on the living room couch, in the hallway, in a bedroom, in the master bathroom, and on a trash bag.

*****