Investigators say Ruben Fregoso and his 5-year-old daughter remain missing after a welfare check turned into a homicide investigation.
LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles police searched Wednesday for a man named as a person of interest in his wife’s violent death and for the couple’s 5-year-old daughter, whose disappearance prompted a multi-county Amber Alert.
The case began as a welfare check and quickly widened into a homicide and child abduction investigation. Police identified the missing girl as Daleyza Fregoso and the man sought with her as Ruben Fregoso, 40. The Los Angeles Police Department said the girl’s mother was found dead Monday inside a home in the 2600 block of South Alsace Avenue. Investigators have not publicly released the woman’s name.
Southwest Area patrol officers went to the home at 12:39 p.m. Monday after a radio call requested a welfare check, police said. Officers found an adult woman dead inside the residence. The LAPD said its preliminary investigation showed the woman “died as a result of violence.” Detectives from the Robbery-Homicide Division’s South Bureau Section took over the case. Police said Ruben Fregoso, the woman’s husband, was identified as a person of interest. Fregoso and Daleyza were missing when officers announced the investigation, and authorities said detectives learned Fregoso had made statements indicating he intended to flee the country.
Authorities said Daleyza and Fregoso were last seen Sunday at about 4 a.m. in Los Angeles, near Alsace Avenue and Ferndale Street. The California Highway Patrol issued the Amber Alert Monday night on behalf of the LAPD. The alert covered Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties, reflecting concern that the pair may have moved south after leaving Los Angeles. Early public alerts and news reports listed the girl as 4, but Los Angeles police later identified her as 5. Police described Daleyza as about 3 feet tall and 45 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Fregoso was described as 5 feet 9 inches tall and about 200 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
The Amber Alert said the pair had been believed to be traveling in a white 2019 Land Rover Discovery with California license plate 9DAW715. Authorities later said the vehicle had been found, but Daleyza and Fregoso remained missing. Local reports said the SUV was located near the U.S.-Mexico border in the San Diego area. Investigators have not said whether they found evidence inside the vehicle, whether another vehicle may be involved or whether the father and daughter crossed the border. Police also have not released a cause of death for the woman found in the home.
The killing was reported in the West Adams area, a central Los Angeles neighborhood west of downtown and south of Interstate 10. The home is near residential blocks, schools, small businesses and major roads that connect the area to the rest of the city. The case drew quick attention because the child’s disappearance was tied to a suspected homicide and because detectives said Fregoso may have planned to leave the United States. Police have not announced an arrest warrant, and no criminal charges had been publicly filed as of Wednesday.
Amber Alerts are issued for the most urgent child abduction cases when authorities believe a child is in danger and quick public notice may help locate the child. In this case, the alert spread across Southern California, while Los Angeles homicide detectives worked the death investigation at the home on South Alsace Avenue. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also posted the case information. Police said detectives were actively seeking information about both Fregoso and Daleyza, but they did not disclose what led to the welfare check or who requested it.
Several key parts of the case remained unclear Wednesday. Police had not said when the woman was last known to be alive, whether the violence occurred before or after Daleyza and Fregoso were last seen, or whether neighbors or relatives heard anything before officers arrived Monday. Investigators also had not said whether Daleyza was seen on video after leaving the Los Angeles area. The LAPD’s public statement described Fregoso as a person of interest, not as a charged suspect, while the Amber Alert listed Daleyza as abducted by him.
The next steps in the investigation include locating Daleyza and Fregoso, reviewing evidence from the home and vehicle, and determining whether the case will move to prosecutors for possible charges. Robbery-Homicide Division detectives are leading the Los Angeles investigation, while other agencies involved in the Amber Alert remain positioned to respond if the pair is found outside the city. If Fregoso is taken into custody in another jurisdiction, police and prosecutors would determine where he is held and what legal process follows.
Images released with the alert showed separate photos of the child and Fregoso, turning the search into a public-facing emergency across the region. The alert named the girl, gave her physical description and repeated that she had last been seen in Los Angeles early Sunday. The LAPD’s statement focused on the homicide investigation and the search for both people. “Detectives are actively seeking information regarding the whereabouts of Ruben Fregoso and Daleyza Fregoso,” police said.
As of Wednesday, Daleyza Fregoso and Ruben Fregoso had not been reported found, and the Amber Alert remained central to the search. The homicide investigation also remained open, with police still withholding the mother’s name while detectives worked to confirm the timeline and locate the missing child.
Author note: Last updated May 27, 2026.