Five Illegal Aliens, MS-13 Suspects Arrested For Missing Teenager’s Murder

Wednesday brought sobering news from Frederick, Maryland, as police announced the arrest of five individuals linked to a harrowing crime. A 15-year-old boy, identified as Limber Jocimar Lopez Funez, had gone missing in late February, alarming the community and putting law enforcement on high alert. 

A day after Funez vanished, chilling signs of a struggle were discovered in a nearby woodland, hinting at a brutal assault. Then, two months later, an even more distressing discovery was made. On April 24, Limber’s remains were uncovered within the serene natural confines of Gambrill State Park, located just outside the city. He had been brutally dismembered.

Ismael Ivan Rivera Canales, 20; Alexis Alfredo Ayala Lopez, 21, Jose Roberto Ramos Lopez, 23; Elmer Bladimir Reyes Reyes, 27; and Ismael Lopez Lopez, 29 were arrested in connection to the case. According to WTTG-TV in Washington, authorities suspect them to be illegal immigrants with affiliations to the infamous MS-13 gang.

All five men face the grave charge of first-degree murder in relation to Funez’s tragic killing.

Frederick Police Chief Jason Lando, sharing the somber news, expressed profound sympathy for the grieving family. “On behalf of the entire team at FPD, our hearts go out to the victim’s family,” he said. “While we know it will not bring Limber back, we hope the arrests in this case will offer some closure to the Lopez Funez family.”

Beyond the disturbance stirred on a local level, Funez’s murder also stirs up a nationwide debate on the security of the U.S.-Mexico border. The United States has been battling a significant increase in migrants heading towards the border under President Joe Biden’s administration, and with the expiration of the Trump-era Title 42 restrictions in May, there has been an additional uptick to the flow.

This surge has stressed the already stretched-thin border security, contributing to a severe immigration crisis.

Communities along the southern border are feeling the weight of this influx. But there’s a broader issue to consider too – national security. The uncontrolled border, critics argue, is providing entry for dangerous individuals, including members of the notorious MS-13 gang, like those accused of Funez’s murder. 

MS-13 gang members have been linked to a string of murders and violent crimes in the U.S., including the strangling death of an autistic 20-year-old woman in Maryland in July last year.