2 persons of interest ID’d in deadly carjacking, kidnapping of South Florida woman
Seminole Sheriff Lemma released names of two persons of interest in the carjacking and killing of Katherine Guerrero De Aguasvivas — including a man he believes is the masked gunman captured on video.
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma released names Friday of two persons of interest in the April 11 carjacking and killing of a South Florida woman — including a man he believes is the masked gunman captured on video.
While no suspects were identified, Lemma said detectives were able to tie Jordanish Torres-Garcia, 28, to the car at the center of Katherine Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ kidnapping.
Detectives discovered he’d purchased the green Acura sedan seen following the 31-year-old as she drove in Winter Springs in a white Dodge SUV. He said the car had been sold by its original owners to a dealership, eventually making its way to Torres-Garcia after he bought it on Facebook Marketplace.
The car was since recovered by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office as part of its investigation into a shooting that killed Juan Luis Cintron Garcia, a 39-year-old tow truck driver who was shot at dozens of times in Taft. A green Acura sedan was seen fleeing the scene, according to investigators.
“[Torres-Garcia’s] phone number is matching the phone number of the person who purchased the green Acura,” Lemma said, noting that calling him a person of interest is for now “probably the safest thing to call him.”
Florida wildlife commission officials lean toward approving highway in Split Oak Forest
Detectives also found a photo of Torres-Garcia posted to social media appearing in clothing similar to those of the gunman: a black ski mask and what looked like a black long-sleeved shirt bearing a similar design. Torres-Garcia was arrested just after noon Friday in Orlando on an unrelated federal warrant on weapons charges. He’s being held at the Seminole County Jail.
The second person of interest is 27-year-old Giovany Crespo Hernandez, who the sheriff said might have been the last person to speak with Guerrero De Aguasvivas over the phone. He was found by Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ brother — identified in court documents as Luis Abreu — after conducting what Lemma said was “his own independent investigation.”
After finding the number through his sister’s iCloud account, Abreu video-called Crespo Hernandez and took a screenshot later turned over to law enforcement. He said detectives were able to identify Crespo Hernandez through facial-recognition software.
Crespo Hernandez, he said, lives in Casselberry but was not home when deputies executed a search warrant. While drugs and guns were found at the home, no evidence tied him or any of the items to the carjacking.
Investigators have not yet tied him or Torres-Garcia to the kidnapping, nor have they identified the other passenger in the Acura seen on video. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Seminole Sheriff’s Office or call Crimeline at 800-423-8477.
“There are some bad players and bad actors that are doing dangerous things with this,” Lemma said. “So I encourage anybody who feels like they may be in harm’s way to come to us for some level of protection. Tell us what you know.”
Friday’s press conference was the third update since Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ kidnapping and killing after her car was found on fire in Osceola County with her body inside. Lemma said she is believed to have driven to Central Florida from Homestead to “deliver money and other stuff” before she was held up at gunpoint on East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road.
While Abreu and Miguel Aguasvivas, Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ husband, have cooperated with detectives, the sheriff said he questions whether they’ve been entirely forthcoming. Namely, he remains skeptical as to why Aguasvivas didn’t call 911 after his wife called him to report she was being followed.
Investigators believe the woman was targeted by the unknown assailants, though it’s not yet clear why. Lemma also questioned Abreu’s own investigation into his sister’s disappearance, but told reporters he doesn’t believe it’s affecting the work of his deputies.
“I’m incredibly skeptical of their level of cooperation, but I’m still identifying them as witnesses and people who are working with us,” he said. “They’ve never been listed as a person of interest, they’ve never been listed as a suspect.”
Abreu and Aguasvivas are also tied to the arrest of Orange County Deputy Francisco Estrella, who was asked to look into a Seminole detective assigned to work Guerrero De Aguasvivas’ death. According to an affidavit, Estrella recorded conversations with the detective under an alias, Francisco Archuela, and provided the pair with her driver’s license profile taken from a confidential law enforcement database.
Estrella was arrested Sunday and charged with illegal interception of communications, illegal disclosure of communications and disclosure of confidential criminal justice information, among other crimes. He was suspended by the Sheriff’s Office, where he’s worked since September 2022, as the case proceeds.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released Thursday night on a $15,000 bond.