A 29-year-old Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally has been accused in rural Virginia of killing and sexually assaulting a vulnerable 2-year-old girl, federal officials said.
Raul Genesis Ortiz Moran is now in ICE custody following a two-week investigation into the child’s July 4 death. Authorities said Moran had been living with the girl’s mother while unlawfully present in the United States from Mexico.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis sharply condemned the case in a statement, saying the suspect “sexually assaulted and murdered a 2-year-old girl in Virginia.”
Bis credited local law enforcement cooperation for Moran’s arrest, saying the accused “is off the streets” and will be held accountable. She also argued the tragedy was preventable, claiming Moran “should have never been in our country.”
She further criticized Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, alleging that the governor’s “sanctuary policies” had contributed to illegal immigrant crime in Virginia.
According to WWBT, Moran and the child’s mother brought the unresponsive toddler to the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office shortly after 3 p.m. on July 4. Deputies immediately attempted lifesaving aid before the girl was transported to a Richmond hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Officials have not publicly detailed how she died.
Investigators questioned both the mother and Moran, who is not the child’s biological father, but initially lacked sufficient forensic evidence to secure federal warrants, the Roanoke Times reported.
Concerned that Moran could leave the area, detectives contacted ICE for assistance.
“There was that 24-hour period of time where we had to be very, very careful,” Louisa County Sheriff Donnie Lowe said.
“We were definitely concerned he was just gonna get up and leave, and we wouldn’t find him again,” the sheriff said while calling the girl’s death “an unimaginable tragedy.”
Moran was finally arrested and charged with second-degree murder and aggravated sexual battery on July 17.
It is not clear exactly when Moran came to the US. However, he had been in trouble with the law just two days before his alleged crimes.
On July 2, he was stopped and charged with driving without a license, a repeated offense, in Hanover County, VA, court records show.
Moran is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning, court records show.
