Man accused of kidnapping baby from N.M. park after killing mother had threatened to ‘start killing people and children’

A Texas man accused of kidnapping a 10-month-old girl at a New Mexico park after having fatally shot her mother and another woman had previously threatened to "start killing people and children," according to federal investigators.

A federal criminal complaint alleged that Alek Isaiah Collins called the FBI twice last year and made threatening statements, leading to a mental health evaluation.

As a result of the evaluation, Collins was prohibited from purchasing a firearm in Texas, the complaint said. An alert was also entered to notify law enforcement if Collins tried to buy a gun.

Collins was arrested May 6 in Abilene, Texas, in connection with a murder and a kidnapping at Ned Houk Park near Clovis, New Mexico.

Authorities found the bodies of Samantha Cisneros and Taryn Allen lying on the ground near a silver Dodge minivan at the park on May 3. Cisneros' 5-year-old daughter was found with a gunshot wound to her head and taken to the hospital.

Items belonging to a baby, including a stroller and a bottle, were found at the scene. Police determined that Cisneros' 10-month-old daughter, Eleia Maria Torres, was missing, sparking an Amber Alert.

The baby was found safe days later with Collins in Abilene, according to authorities.

A federal criminal complaint charged Collins with interstate kidnapping of a child, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico said in a news release Tuesday. He also faces state charges of first-degree murder, child abuse and kidnapping.

Federal investigators alleged that Collins called the FBI twice last year demanding assistance in finding his missing 5-year-old daughter. It was not clear whether Collins has a child.

During a phone call in September, authorities alleged, Collins made "threatening statements," prompting the FBI to contact the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office in Texas. Deputies brought Collins in for a mental health evaluation, according to the complaint. The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The next month, he called the FBI again and "reported that if law enforcement did not assist him with locating his missing five-year-old daughter, he would 'start killing people and children,'" the complaint said. It also alleged that he said he had kidnapped a woman and her son to "pressure law enforcement to assist with locating his daughter."

The FBI again alerted law enforcement officials in Texas, but they could not get in contact with Collins. Federal investigators said that during the second call, Collins appeared to be intoxicated and could not provide the name of his alleged daughter or the name of the child's mother.

In law enforcement interviews, Collins said that he did not possess any weapons and that he did not intend to harm anyone, according to the complaint. He claimed he made the statements "so that he could obtain help locating his daughter," it alleged.

An attorney for Collins did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The complaint also provided more details about the May 3 incident. Federal investigators said that Cisneros and Allen, both 23, had been shot multiple times and that it appeared Cisneros had been struck by a vehicle.

"Her body had wounds to her lower legs and abrasions on her back indicative of being struck/dragged by a vehicle," the complaint said.

The cover of a side-view mirror from a maroon vehicle was also found at the scene along with the baby items, according to federal investigators.

The complaint said Collins had rented a maroon Honda in Texas before the shootings. GPS data from the car showed it traveling from Houston to Clovis, and security video placed it in the vicinity of the park less than an hour before the killings, according to the complaint.

A witness told police it appeared that the driver of the maroon car was communicating with the driver of the van, the complaint said.

After the shooting, the GPS data showed the vehicle traveling rapidly from Clovis to a residence in Abilene, where it remained until May 6.

The owner of the vehicle told authorities that Collins had failed to return the car on time, so the owner reported it stolen and remotely disabled it.

Officers were preparing to serve a search warrant at the residence when they saw Collins leave the home carrying a baby and get into an Uber vehicle, according to the complaint. Investigators said Collins forced the Uber driver out of the vehicle at gunpoint and drove away. Officers "pursued and pinned" the vehicle and took Collins into custody, they said.

A motive for the shootings and kidnapping remains unclear. Authorities have said they do not believe Collins was related to any of the victims.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com