Fort Bend County murder suspect found dead by authorities
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office has announced they've located a suspect wanted for murder.
Officials said they located Jhon Vanegas Romero, 24, the suspect in a recent murder investigation, deceased.
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Jhon Vanegas Romero (Courtesy of Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office)
On Friday, deputies responded to a call regarding a man found hanging in Needville. Officials said the location was approximately two miles from where Romero was last believed to be seen.
Authorities tentatively identified him as Romero based on clothing, tattoos, and a passport that was found. Surveillance footage from October 14 confirmed Romero was wearing the same clothes when last seen alive.
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Romero was the prime suspect in the stabbing death of his wife, Anyi Tatiana Montealegre Izquierdo, 23, on October 14. A manhunt was launched following the discovery of her body.
"While a thorough investigation is underway to ensure all protocols are followed, this appears to be a suicide," said Sheriff Eric Fagan. "Our deepest condolences go out to all families affected by this tragedy."
FOX 26's Jonathan Mejia spoke with Colombian Consulate General Andres Diaz, and he said it's an unfortunate situation for the Colombian community.
"I regret to hear the news of Romero's death, like I would any Colombian native. However, I would have liked him to turn himself over to the authorities and face the law," Diaz said.
Montealegre's family wanted Romero to be caught alive. In an interview with FOX 26 on Tuesday, the family said they wanted justice and for her body to be repatriated to Colombia.
"We take them step by step the process it’s not a short process, unfortunately. It will probably take 4–6 weeks to repatriate the body," Diaz said.
Diaz explained that the ongoing investigation has prolonged the repatriation because there's a lot of paperwork involving several entities. In addition to repatriating her body the Colombian consulate is also paying the funeral services.
"Unfortunately this American dream ended really bad for this girl, and we are very apologetic," Diaz said.
Romero's body will undergo a post-mortem examination, with fingerprint and identification checks to confirm his identity definitively.
The investigation into Izquierdo's death remains ongoing.