WOODLAND, Calif. — The Yolo County Sheriff's Office has arrested a suspect they believe killed multiple infants between 1992 through 2001.
Paul Perez, 57, of Delano, has been arrested for the "serial murder of his own children," according to Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig. Perez has been charged with five counts of first-degree premeditated murder. He also faces additional charges of assault on a child under the age of 8 years old.
Law enforcement officials said they believe Perez tortured his children before killing them.
"We have not yet decided if we plan to seek the death penalty," Reisig said in the press conference.
On March 29, 2007, an infant's body was found by a fisherman in a waterway in Yolo County. At the time, the infant was unidentifiable. The infant was found in a sealed container and weighed down with heavy objects.
In 2018, as DNA technology improved, the Yolo County Sheriff's Office formed a cold case task force with the idea of utilizing new DNA technology. With the help of the California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory, they were able to identify the child.
"The case went cold for over 10 years," Reisig said.
The infant was then identified in 2019 as Nikko Lee Perez. The baby was born on Nov. 8, 1996, in Fresno. Since the start of their investigation, authorities have discovered evidence that leads them to believe Perez is responsible for the death of four additional infants under six months old, as well.
With the help of DNA evidence, authorities were able to determine Nikko had four siblings:
- Kato Allen Perez, born 1992
- Mika Alena Perez, born in Merced in 1995
- Nikko Lee Perez, born in Fresno in 1997
- Kato Krow Perez, born in Fresno in 2001
Authorities are not saying how they linked the suspect to the murders. But they say a second infant's body has also been located. They are now searching for the bodies of the three remaining siblings. No further details were released. Perez is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at the Yolo County Superior Court.
Law enforcement said they plan to continue its investigation in case there are other children Perez fathered that they do not know about.
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