BMW in the case Amber Alert discovered near Mexico; teenager still missing

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez (contact)

Friday, April 19, 2019 | 6:50 p.m.

Police on Friday found a car associated with a missing teenager and a kill in southern California, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The girl, 15-year-old Alora Benitez, was not found, according to the authorities, as was her mother, Maricela Mercado, 40, and Roman Cerratos, both suspected of homicide.

San Diego police, however, found the 2013 BMW with the Nevada placards in San Ysidro, just north of the Mexican border, the sheriff's office said.

The Amber Alert, released Thursday, was canceled in Nevada after a few hours but remained active in California.

It is believed that the teenager is in danger, while adults are considered armed and dangerous, authorities said. The suspects are accused of killing a man whose body was found Tuesday in an Audi parked near a public place in Carson, California.

Thursday's teenager was seen in the Los Angeles area, the Sheriff's department said.

Anyone with information about where they are located should not contact them, but call 911 or the homicide detectives in California at 323-890-5500, officials said.