A Florida man who allegedly confessed to a gruesome double murder was found hiding in the woods, according to authorities.
Authorities released bodycam footage of the Thursday capture of a suspect who has allegedly confessed to the murders of a woman and child who were found dead on Wednesday.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office responded to a call Friday evening from a neighbor who found 36-year-old Amalia Coc Choc de Pec dead outside a mobile home on the 3700 block of Sumner Road in Dover.
Officers arrived to find the woman deceased with "severe blunt-force trauma," and inside the mobile home they found 4-year-old Estrella Anastasia Pec Coc also deceased with blunt-force trauma.
A warrant was issued for the arrest of 31-year-old Angel Gabriel Cuz-Choc, and a manhunt ensued. Less than 24 hours later, K9 units tracked Cuz-Choc to a wooded area between Interstate 4 and Glen Harwell Road, less than two miles from the scene of the crime.
Video from deputies' bodycams showed Cuz-Choc hiding in thick brush, where he was taken into custody.
"From the moment our deputies arrived at the gruesome scene, we poured every resource available into tracking down the suspect responsible for this heinous crime and bringing him to justice," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "Cuz-Choc will face the full weight of the criminal justice system for his vicious, vile, and evil actions."
The sheriff's office says Cuz-Choc confessed to both murders in interviews with detectives. He was charged with two counts of murder in the first degree with a weapon, though "additional charges may be forthcoming," the sheriff's office said.
"Not only did he commit an unimaginable crime which cruelly claimed the lives of two innocent victims, he then made the cowardly and ultimately futile attempt to evade capture. His efforts were no match for our team of dedicated detectives who left no stone unturned in their search," Chronister said. "There wasn't a square inch within this perimeter that our deputies did not have covered."
--with reporting by TMX
