Man charged in Clovis killings, kidnapping to be extradited to New Mexico
A 26-year-old Houston man arrested by police in Abilene in connection with a double homicide and kidnapping out of Clovis, N.M. will be extradited to New Mexico to face federal charges.
Alek Collins appeared Tuesday in a U.S. Magistrate Court in Abilene for an initial appearance for a count of kidnapping of a minor and waived an identity hearing, admitting to being the person accused in a criminal complaint of kidnapping a 10-month-old girl from a city park where police found two women who were shot to death and a 5-year-old girl suffering a gunshot wound.
Collins, who also faces state charges of murder, child abuse and kidnapping out of the Ninth Judicial District in New Mexico, was located in Abilene, two days after Clovis police officers responding to a check welfare call at Ned Houk Park, found Samantha Cisneros, 23, and Taryn Allen, 23, both from Texico, N.M., with apparent gunshot wounds, laying on the ground near a silver Dodge minivan. A young girl was also found on the ground, suffering from an injury to her head. The child was later taken to a Lubbock hospital.
The officer also found items at the scene for an infant but didn't find one after searching the area.
Investigators leanred that Cisneros was the mother of the injured child and the missing infant.
Multiple law enforcement aggencies quickly banded together to identify a suspect and find the child.
Investigators found cell phone tower data, security video cameras and witness statements that identified Collins as a potential suspect within hours of the shooting.
Investigators tracked the GPS on Collin's rented vehicle to a home in Abilene where investigators saw a hired vehicle appear.
Investigators also reportedly saw Collins come out of the home carrying the baby, place her in the back of the vehicle and then tried to carjack by gunpoint the hired driver.
Collins was quickly arrested and the baby was rescued.
Investigators spoke with Collins, who admitted to taking the child, but denied shooting anyone.
Investigators found no link between the victims.
However, FBI agents found phone messages he left in October threatening to kill people, including children, if the agency didn't help him find his missing child.
A month before, Collins reportedly made a similar call and was taken into custody in Brazoria County and placed in a mental health facility for evaluation.
Court documents state the evaluation concluded with Collins being prohibited from purchasing firearms. However, it did not disclose how he obtained the weapon officers found on him during his arrest.
Officials at the Ninth Judicial District said they also planned to file a motion to extradict Collins from Texas.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Man charged in Clovis killings, kidnapping to be extradited to New Mexico
