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MS-13 Gang Members Allegedly Killed Maryland Teen With Machete And Baseball Bat

Prince George's County Police Department

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Matt M. Miller Contributor
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MS-13 members allegedly killed a 14-year-old girl using a baseball bat and a machete and then disposed of her body in a creek, according to Maryland police.

Ariana Funes-Diaz’s body was found Wednesday in a creek in Prince George’s County, Maryland, one month after she was reported missing, Fox News reported.

Police charged Josue Fuentes-Ponce, 16; Joel Escobar, 17; and Cynthia Hernandez-Nucamendi, 14, Thursday with first-degree murder for allegedly killing Funes-Diaz. (RELATED: Time’s Up For MS-13 Gang Members)

Fuentes-Ponce and Escobar are members of MS-13, according to Maj. Brian Reilly of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

“Consistently what we’ve seen with cases involving MS-13 is violence that’s disturbing,” Reilly explained during a press conference, according to Fox News.

Before the murder, Funes-Diaz and the three murder suspects allegedly robbed a man in Washington, D.C., on April 17, police say. The suspects took Funes-Diaz to a wooded area behind an apartment complex on 64th Avenue the following day and killed her, Reilly said.

The suspects reportedly killed Funes-Diaz by using a baseball bat and machete, Cox Media Group reported.

It is believed that Funes-Diaz was murdered out of fear she would tell authorities about the robbery, according to Reilly.

“This is not two gangs warring with each other. This is a gang that turned on itself, turned on an associate in extremely violent behavior,” Reilly explained.

He added that police are pursuing a fourth murder suspect who also participated in the robbery.

Escobar and Hernandez-Nucamendi are being held in the custody of the Department of Corrections with no bond. Ponce is being held in custody at the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center, according to NBC Washington.

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