Amber Alert deactivated: California kids found alive, their father in custody after mother killed​on January 31, 2025 at 7:07 am

KINGS COUNTY, Calif. — An Amber Alert has been deactivated after two children, who were taken from a home in California’s Kings County after their mother was found killed, have been found, officials said Thursday.

The suspect, who is also the children’s father, has been taken into custody.

The Amber Alert, which was issued Wednesday, had encompassed a large swath of the state.

During the search for the young girls, authorities said that 23-year-old Jonathan Alexis Maldonado-Cruz could’ve possibly been headed to Mexico with them. It’s unclear where the children were found and in what condition.

Maldonado-Cruz is suspected of shooting and killing 22-year-old Madeline Rose Cuevas, the children’s mother, in a home in Hanford.

Joel Cuevas, Madeline’s father, called 911 when he hadn’t heard from his daughter, who lives down the street from him. She was found dead in the home.

Cuevas says that Madeline worked as a supervisor at Costco and the young mother recently bought a home.

She would have turned 23 years old on Valentine’s Day.

The Kings County Sheriff’s Office was expected to hold a press conference at 3 p.m. Thursday.