Sheriff: Border Patrol agent held in killings

LAREDO, TEXAS » A U.S. Border Patrol agent suspected of killing four prostitutes was arrested early Saturday after a fifth woman managed to escape from him and notify the authorities, law enforcement officials said, describing the agent as a “serial killer.”

Juan David Ortiz, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, fled from state troopers and was found hiding in a hotel parking lot in Laredo around 2 a.m. Saturday, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said at a news conference. He said investigators have “very strong evidence” that he is responsible for the deaths of the four women.

The county’s district attorney, Isidro Alaniz, described Ortiz as a serial killer. Authorities didn’t disclose the victims’ names or nationalities and they declined to discuss the evidence or say how the women were killed.

Alaniz said investigators still are trying to determine a motive for the killings. He said all of the women worked as prostitutes.