21-year-old arrested for kidnapping the New Mexico teen found dead in Juarez

JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- Mexican officials arrested a person for the kidnapping of a New Mexico teenager. Officers found the 17-year-old girl, identified only as D.C.L.G., buried in the courtyard of a house in southeast Juarez.

Officers arrested Óscar Manuel M. A., 21, on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 for the girl's kidnapping. He was taken into custody in Tezonapa, Veracruz. He is charged with aggravated kidnapping of a minor.

The girl, who lived in Hobbs, New Mexico, went missing last month. Then investigators say on July 19, the girl's relatives received messages through Whatsapp demanding a ransom for her freedom, attaching photos and videos as proof.

Officials say the teen's autopsy revealed she died of asphyxiation by strangulation.