Emily Rodriguez-Avila Found Dead: Three people were arrested in Texas this week and charged with the murder of a teen who was found dead on the side of a rural Liberty County road earlier this month.
Emily Rodriguez-Avila was found dead on September 4, a day after texting family members to say friends were giving her a ride from work, KHOU reported.
Emily Rodriguez-Avila Found Dead: Ex-Boyfriend, 2 Others Charged in Death of 16-Year-Old Texas Girl
Still wearing her work uniform, the 16-year-old’s body had been dumped beside the road about an hour away from her job at Niko Niko’s Greek restaurant.
The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office said it had arrested Kevin Rivera-Ortiz, 19; Katherine Alvarez-Flores, 20; and Joel Garcia-Martinez, 20. Investigators said Rivera-Ortiz was Rodriguez-Avila’s ex-boyfriend.
Alvarez-Flores, who also faces a tampering charge, was arrested several days ago, the sheriff’s office said, while the two men were arrested Tuesday in Houston with the assistance of gang units from the Houston Police Department and the US Department of Homeland Security.
All three have been booked into the Liberty County Jail on $1 million bonds each.
Last week, Niko Niko’s held a fundraiser to help Rodriguez-Avila’s family with funeral expenses. The family hopes to bury her in Honduras, where she was born.
Don’t Miss: Parents And Grandmother Arrested After Toddler Found Locked in Bug-Infested Cage
Rivera-Ortiz is an ex-boyfriend of the victim
Rivera-Ortiz is an ex-boyfriend of the victim, KTRK, KHOU, and Click2Houston reported, citing the sheriff’s office. All three are facing murder charges, the sheriff said.
Alvarez-Flores is facing an additional charge of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, according to the release. “The investigation is still ongoing in an effort to determine a motive,” authorities said.
Emily Rodriguez-Avila, 16, was found dead on Sept. 4, the day after she texted her family and said friends were giving her a ride after work. She was still wearing her work uniform. 🙏 https://t.co/o61tBtKMNh
— KENS 5 (@KENS5) September 21, 2022
Three people are accused of murder after the body of a 16-year-old girl was found shot along a country road, Texas authorities say. Emily Rodriguez-Avila was last seen leaving work at Niko Niko’s Greek restaurant in west Houston on Saturday, Sept. 3, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office. Her family came to pick her up that night, but she texted them that she had already left with friends, KHOU reported on Sept. 5.
The sheriff’s office received a call about a body being found along a country road east of Plum Grove on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 4, KTRK reported at the time. Plum Grove is about 50 miles northeast of Niko Niko’s restaurant.
Deputies arrived to find Rodriguez-Avila lying on her side with a gunshot wound, still wearing her work uniform, 12 News Now reported. The murder investigation led officers to arrest three people: 19-year-old Kevin Rivera-Ortiz, 20-year-old Joel Garcia-Martinez and 20-year-old Katherine Alvarez-Flores, the sheriff’s office said in a news release on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Also Read: Thomas Neal Williams Arrested: Tennessee Man Traps Girlfriend Inside Home, Burns Her With Blow Torch
Niko Niko’s worker killed: Few motives for Emily Rodriguez-Avila’s murder as suspects face total $3 million bond, authorities say!
Liberty County, Texas (KTRK) – As the investigation continues into the death of a 16-year-old girl, whose body was found more than 50 miles from where she was last seen, authorities have said there are some possible motives behind her death.
Kevin Rivera Ortiz, 19 years old; Joel Garcia Martinez, 20 years old; and Catherine Alvarez Flores, 20, are charged with murder in connection with the death of Emily Rodriguez Avila.
Alvarez Flores, who is being held on $1.5 million bail, was the first to be arrested on Sept. 8 on charges of tampering or fabricating physical evidence. Court records show that she altered or destroyed a cell phone with evidence of it.
Rivera Ortiz, identified by authorities as Rodriguez Avila’s ex-boyfriend, and Garcia Martinez were arrested Tuesday in Houston. Both were awarded a $1 million bond.
Several law enforcement agencies are now involved in the case, including the Homeland Security Gang Unit South and the Houston Police Gang Unit.
“There are indications that there may be some gang activity involved in this. But, at this time, to be sure it would be premature, but it’s an aspect they’re looking at,” Liberty County Capt. Ken Devore said.
He said there are motives investigators are looking for, but they do not want to release her at this time.
Rodriguez-Avila has been identified as the teen who was found with a gunshot wound on the morning of September 4 at the side of County Road 3550, near County Road 5708, on the northern tip of Liberty County.
The 16-year-old was last seen riding in a friend’s car when she left Niko Niko’s restaurant on I-10 and Beltway the night before. Sources said that a relative usually picks her up from work, but she told her relative that her boyfriend was picking her up on Saturday. This was the last time anyone saw her alive.
Rodriguez Avila’s body was found the next morning wearing a hairnet and a blue T-shirt and hat with the brand name “Nico” on it, the mayor’s office said early in the investigation.
Employees at the Greek and American Nikko Nikko Cafe near Beltway 8 confirmed with ABC13 earlier this month that Rodriguez Avila was one of their employees. They refused to go to the camera but said the news destroyed them.
Law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation plan to hold a press conference this week to provide an update on the case. No date has been set.
A GoFundMe To help the Avila Rodriguez family with expenses.
