TDCJ confirms cartel killer Gonzalo Lopez is dead, another child found murdered

UPDATE (11:46 p.m.) – TDCJ officials now say that officers found four minors and one adult dead earlier today inside the home in Leon County.

Officials with the agency said originally that authorities found two adults and three children killed that they believed to be tied to Gonzalo Lopez.

They have yet to release any further information but said the investigation at the home off of SH-7 is ongoing.

UPDATE (11:29 p.m.) – The Texas Department of Criminal Justice says cartel killer Gonzalo Lopez is dead.

Officials said that the vehicle matching one that Lopez fled in from Leon County was spotted by deputies with the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office.

They said deputies used a device to deflate the vehicles tires outside Jourdanton, Texas, and Lopez came out the truck shooting an AR-15 at officers.

Officers there engaged in gunfire with Lopez, killing him, according to Jason Clarke with TDCJ.

Clarke said Lopez had a handgun in the vehicle along with the assault rifle.

UPDATE (10:48 p.m.) – Convicted cartel killer Gonzalo Lopez is in custody tonight after fleeing from custody over three weeks ago, police said.

McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara told 25 News law enforcement in Atascosa County caught the fugitive murderer earlier Thursday night.

Authorities said Lopez was traveling in the Chevrolet Silverado belonging to a family that they believe he may have killed in Leon County.

No word yet on Lopez’s intended destination.

This comes as authorities made a gruesome discovery inside a home near Centerville, where the bodies of two adults and three children were found.

THE LATEST: WATCH LIVE

NEWS CONFERENCE UPDATE

Missing Leon County prison bus escapee Gonzalo Lopez is the “prime suspect” in the murder of two adults and three children who were found in a residence within the “search perimeter,” a Texas Department of Criminal Justice official said late Thursday.

Those killed were from Houston, said Jason Clark, chief of staff, TDCJ.

ORIGINAL STORY

Missing Leon County prison bus escapee Gonzalo Lopez may be responsible for “five murders,” and Texas Rangers are assisting the Leon County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.

That’s according to a social media post from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Southeast Region.

Just before 9 p.m., the Texas Department of Criminal Justice reported law enforcement officers discovered the bodies of two adults and three children in a residence within the “search perimeter.”

A news conference is scheduled for “later tonight” in Centerville. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Texas Department of Public Safety are expected to join the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.

“It is believed that escaped inmate, Gonzalo Lopez, may be driving the vehicle and may be armed,” the TDCJ post said.

———

Related

New photos released of ‘dangerous’ Texas prison bus escapee
Reward amount increased to $50,000 for ‘dangerous’ Texas prison bus escapee
Search for Texas inmate expands as land, air operations end

———

25 News will continue to update this story as information becomes available.