Cold Case Reopened: California Man Charged For The Murder Of His 5 Infant Children

An arrest has been made in a cold case involving the murder of five infants between 1992 and 2001.

Paul Perez, 57, who was already held in jail for unrelated charges, was arrested and charged on Monday for killing five of his children. He faces five counts of first-degree murder and the possibility of capital punishment.

“The investigation in this case uncovered a deeply disturbing, chilling case of infanticide,” Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said in a statement to the press. “Today, we are announcing charges against Paul Perez for the serial murder of five of his own children, all babies.”

Specific details about the murders and the investigation into them are being kept under wraps at this time. It was confirmed that the cold case was reopened after DNA evidence was obtained in October. The evidence connected Perez to one of his victims, Nikko Lee Perez, whose remains were found in a canal by a fisherman in 2007, sealed in a bag and weighed down.

Police have been in possession of the remains of another, Kato Allen Perez, who was born in 1992. The three other victims have not been found but are believed to be deceased: Mika Alena Perez, Nikko Lee Perez – who shared a name with another victim and sibling – and, Kato Krow Perez. Reisig’s office said that the killings were committed by means of lying in wait and torture.

“Cold cases require a unique level of commitment and dedication,” Ed Medrano, of the California Department of Justice, said. “The allegations we are discussing today are both senseless, evil, and heartbreaking.”

Police have not at this time dismissed the possibility of other victims in Perez’s case.