Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for the 27-year-old man charged in the deaths of a mother and two children.
MOBILE, Alabama — A 27-year-old man entered a plea of not guilty Saturday to capital murder charges following the discovery of three bodies believed to be a mother and two children missing since January. Hector Argueta-Guerra remains in custody as authorities continue their investigation into the triple homicide.
The discovery on Wednesday ended a six-week search for 40-year-old Aurelia Choc Cac, her 17-year-old daughter, Niurka Zuleta Choc, and her 2-year-old son, Anthony Garcia Choc. Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood described the scene as horrific and confirmed the state intends to seek the death penalty. While formal forensic identification is pending, investigators recovered jewelry at the site bearing the victims’ names, leading officials to conclude the remains belong to the Choc family.
The remains were located in a shallow grave in a wooded area off Downing Road in Summerdale, about 30 miles from where the family was last seen. Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said cadaver dogs alerted investigators to the spot during a follow-up search of a property linked to Argueta-Guerra. Evidence from the scene suggests the victims were killed with an edged weapon before being buried. “He is an evil person who will face his judgment soon,” Burch said during a news conference following the recovery. The family was first reported missing on Jan. 31, after neighbors noticed they were gone from their residence on Ben Hamilton Road in Theodore. Deputies who initially searched the home reported finding blood and a missing mattress, sparking a multi-agency search involving the FBI and Homeland Security.
Investigators spent much of Thursday and Friday processing the burial site and the suspects’ associations. According to court records, Argueta-Guerra was already in custody on kidnapping charges related to the disappearance when the bodies were found. He now faces multiple counts of capital murder, abuse of a corpse, and obstruction of justice. Sheriff Burch stated that the suspect had been previously arrested after fleeing a traffic stop in February and hiding under a house. Authorities are also investigating a network of local painting companies where both the victim and the suspect had worked. A second man was arrested in February on a weapons charge during the early stages of the probe, though he has not been charged in the killings.
The case has drawn attention to previous law enforcement interactions and the immigration status of those involved. Sheriff Burch noted that Aurelia Choc Cac was originally from Guatemala and had received a final deportation order in April 2025. Argueta-Guerra is also in the United States illegally and has an immigration hold placed on him by federal authorities. Officials stated that language barriers initially slowed the interviews with some family members, but cooperation from relatives in Florida and Wilmer helped build the timeline. Before the discovery, there were rumors that immigration officials had taken the family, but the sheriff’s office dismissed those claims as distractions from the criminal investigation. Records show the father of the 2-year-old had also made prior threats to take the child, which was a lead investigators explored early in the case.
Legal proceedings are moving quickly as the Mobile County District Attorney’s office prepares its evidence for a grand jury. Argueta-Guerra appeared in court Saturday morning for his arraignment, where he was denied bond. Prosecutors asked the judge to dismiss the original kidnapping charges, arguing that the capital murder counts cover the crimes more comprehensively. A preliminary hearing is now scheduled for April 6. Investigators are also coordinating with international authorities to review Argueta-Guerra’s criminal history in El Salvador. In the coming weeks, the state forensic lab is expected to release a final report on the cause of death and confirm the identities through DNA testing.
Community members in Theodore have established a small memorial near the family’s former home as news of the discovery spread. Relatives of the victims expressed their grief through a Spanish-language news outlet, describing the long weeks of uncertainty before the bodies were found. Local law enforcement officials said they received a call from the White House offering federal resources to assist in the final stages of the prosecution. Sarah Jones, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Mobile Field Office, said the agency remains committed to the case until justice is served. “Our work here is not done,” Jones said. “We will continue and maintain our resolve to bring answers to this community.”
The investigation remains active as deputies search for additional evidence in the wooded area where the bodies were recovered. A final autopsy report is expected by the end of the month. Argueta-Guerra is being held at the Mobile Metro Jail until his next scheduled court appearance on April 6.
Author note: Last updated Sunday, March 15, 2026.