Juan Carlos Mata and Lesley Reyes.Photo:Pasadena Police Department
Pasadena Police Department
Police in Pasadena, Texas — about 15 miles southeast of Houston — told multiple outlets on Thursday that officers found Juan Carlos Mata, 20, dead near a makeshift memorial that was put up days earlier, after Mata allegedly shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, 19-year-old Lesley Reyes, in the parking lot of her apartment building.
Mata was reportedly on the run from police since Monday night, when Pasadena Police Sgt. Raul Granadostoldlocal KHOU11 that investigators believe he killed his ex-girlfriend.
“The suspect was still on scene and he was walking away. Our officers weren’t able to pursue him because they tended to the victim first and immediately noticed that she was deceased. By the time they tried to go after his location, he was already gone,” Granados told the outlet.
After police received a call about a suspicious man in the parking lot where Mata is believed to have killed Reyes, officers arrived and saw Mata run behind a car and grab a shotgun. He then shot himself and died at the scene, policetoldlocal KPRC.
Reyes' family launched a fundraiser for funeral costs onGoFundMethis week, calling her “a bright and beautiful soul who was taken from us too soon.”
Juan Carlos Mata.Pasadena Police Department
Lesley Reyes.GoFundMe
GoFundMe
Reyes’ family told the outlet that on Monday, they heard gunshots around midnight and ran outside to find the 19-year-old wounded in the parking lot. The family described Mata as a “toxic” presence in Reyes’ life and said he was “obsessed” with her and “abusive” in their relationship.
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The couple had reportedly broken up after about a year of dating, the family told KHOU11. They said Reyes had been sad about the breakup but was doing better recently.
“You could tell she was picking herself back up,” Reyes’ sister Lourdes Martinez told the outlet. “She was doing good.”
Martinez said the family “did get to meet” Mata in the past. “We let him in our home,” she said. “We were very open to him, and now, he has really just hurt our family a lot.”Reyes had recently become very interested in with car maintenance and was working on fixing cars, the sister told KHOU11.
“She was such a sweet girl,” her sister said. “She always did a lot for everyone. You would ask her for a favor, she would do it without hesitation.”
Police are still investigating the murder-suicide, according to reports. Pasadena police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further details about the investigation Friday morning.
source: people.com
