PONTIAC, Mich. – A Pontiac man, his brother and his mother have been taken into custody nearly four years after fishermen came across a bloody murder scene that helped police discover the body of a 20-year-old man in a lake.
Body discovered in Pontiac lake
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On June 7, 2018, two men went to Osmun Lake to fish and discovered a broken vehicle headlight and a blood-soaked shirt, police said. There was blood near and on a dock at the lake, according to authorities.
They reported the scene to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, and divers found the body of Emilio Valdez, 20, in the lake, they said.
An autopsy revealed Valdez had been alive when he went into the lake, but he also had two gunshot wounds to his chest, police said.
Investigation
Valdez’s sister told detectives that her brother had gotten into a black Pontiac Grand Prix on June 7. She said she heard several gunshots before the car sped away, and she couldn’t reach him the rest of the day.
Deputies learned the same day that a black Grand Prix had been stolen. What they didn’t know at the time was that Angel Jose Alvarez, 22, of Pontiac, the son of the complainant, had been driving the car, according to authorities.
The car was found in Sylvan Lake and recovered by Waterford Township police, officials said.
A spent shell casing, blood and Valdez’s cellphone were found inside the Grand Prix, according to police.
Alvarez was questioned at the time, but denied knowing about the murder. Detectives didn’t believe the murder was random, but they couldn’t uncover enough information to lead to charges, they said.
Cold case arrests
Authorities made three arrests Friday (April 9) in connection with this cold case.
Alvarez and his mother, Guadalupe Maria Davila-Rodriguez, 46, were arrested in Pontiac. His brother, Juan Diego Hernandez, 27, was arrested in Walled Lake, officials said.
Alvarez is charged with open murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. His mother and brother are charged with being accessories after the fact to open murder -- five-year felonies.
They were arraigned Tuesday at 50th District Court in Pontiac and taken to the Oakland County Jail. Davila-Rodriguez and Hernandez were given a $20,000 bond.
A probable cause conference is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. April 21, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for April 28.
“I am proud of our deputies who constantly dig for more information and look for ways to not only solve crimes but to bring perpetrators to justice,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. “We look forward to those involved in this homicide being held accountable.”
