COLOMA, Mich. -- An Amber Alert that had been issued out of Berrien County for two abducted sisters was cancelled early Friday morning, after they were found safe in Colorado. Their father -- the man accused of kidnapping them -- is also in custody. All of these events resulted from a double homicide that occurred as early as Wednesday evening.
Late Thursday night, Michigan State Police issued an Amber Alert for Nova Perez, 4, and her sister, Luna, 4. The two young girls were believed to have been kidnapped by their biological father, Alex Perez.
They were discovered to be missing when police began investigating a double homicide in Coloma, MI. They believe the girls' biological father abducted them, and is suspected in the killings of the two victims. Friday afternoon, the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office released the names of the victims. They are Renee Mitchell, 27, who is the mother of the two children, and her father, John Mitchell, 67. Both of them lived in the home.
According to detectives, the killings likely occurred sometime Wednesday night at a home on M-63 in Coloma, but it went unnoticed until family members climbed through a window of the home and found the victims. Police quickly realized there were also missing children involved, and activated the Amber Alert, putting out a detailed vehicle description as well as information on the suspect and abductees.
Hours later, police in Colorado initiated a traffic stop that would end up being the suspect, with the two little girls. The officer there noticed a vehicle that looked like it did not belong there, and the suspect gave him some false information. After some further investigation, everything clicked, and after a brief struggle, Alex Perez was taken into custody. The two sisters are in the care of authorities.
An extradition process to bring Perez back to Michigan is expected to take shape in the coming days.
You are urged to call 269-683-4411 or 269-683-4412 with any information related to this case.
