The man accused of murdering his wife in West Adams and kidnapping their young daughter before taking off to Mexico has been taken into custody, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Ruben Fregoso, 40, was taken into custody in Mexico about two weeks after he was accused of killing 36-year-old Marisol Garcia Palacios, police said on Monday. The victim was found dead inside a home in West Adams on May 24 and according to police, it appeared she died a violent death. Authorities did not go into detail on what the cause of Palacios’ death was.
Law enforcement said Fregoso took off with the couple’s 5-year-old daughter after the alleged murder, prompting an Amber Alert to be issued. The man’s SUV was found inside the parking garage of the San Ysidro Point of Entry, where surveillance footage captured him and his daughter.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged the suspect with one count of murder and one misdemeanor count of child abuse under circumstance or conditions other than great bodily injury or death.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico is working on extraditing Fregoso to the U.S.
His 5-year-old daughter was found safe and is in the custody of Mexican officials. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico is also working on returning her to family.
A mother in West Adams who was killed in an ongoing Amber Alert case has been identified. This video was broadcast on the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on May 30, 2026.