Two suspects arrested after children's bodies found in Colorado storage unit, suitcase

Two people in Colorado are in custody in connection with the deaths of a boy and girl whose remains were discovered in a suitcase and a storage unit years after they were last seen.

Officers with the Pueblo Police Department arrested Corena Rose Minjarez, 36, and Jesus Dominguez, 35, according to county jail records.

The Pueblo Police Department announced in January that it had launched a homicide investigation after the remains of a girl were found by police inside a metal container in a storage unit filled with hardened concrete in the city of Pueblo.

As part of the investigation, officers began searching for Jesus Dominguez Jr. and Yesenia Dominguez, who were 5 and 3, respectively, when they were last seen in 2018. Neither was reported missing.

During the investigation, Dominguez and Minjarez were questioned as persons of interest. Dominguez was arrested for an outstanding warrant, police said, and during interviews with police, it was mentioned that the children may be somewhere in Phoenix, according to a Pueblo Police Department news release late Friday.

Police say they followed up on that potential lead with no success.

Police search suspect's car, find other child's remains in suitcase

Through their investigation, detectives located a vehicle allegedly belonging to Minjarez at a local scrapyard. On Feb. 6, police executed a search warrant and found a suitcase in the trunk, inside of which were the remains of a boy.

On Feb. 15, police received DNA confirmation that the remains found in the metal container belonged to Yesenia Dominguez, and the remains found in the suitcase belonged to Jesus Dominguez Jr. No missing person’s reports were ever filed for the children. Police were not made aware they were missing until Jan. 20. 

Police obtained arrest warrants for Minjarez and Dominguez on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of abuse of a corpse. Dominguez also was charged with theft of government benefits.  

Pueblo police spokesperson Sgt. Frank Ortega declined to comment Friday on whether the two children were the biological offspring of Minjarez and Dominguez.

Minjarez is being held at the Pueblo County Detention Center on a $2 million cash-only bond. As of Saturday, Dominguez's bond information was not available.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY; The Associated Press