iStock/Thinkstock(BRIDGEPORT, Conn.) — The 39-year-old man suspected of murder and connected to an Amber Alert involving his 6-year-old daughter had been deported from the U.S. in 2013, according to federal authorities.
Early Friday morning, an Amber Alert was issued in Bridgeport, Connecticut and several surrounding states after 6-year-old Aylin Sophia Hernandez had been reported missing, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
The girl’s father, Oscar Obedio Hernandez, a citizen of El Salvador, had been issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on Oct. 29, 2013 and was removed by immigration officers in Hartford, Connecticut less than a month later, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Updated and expanded information regarding the Feb. 24 Amber Alert: https://t.co/yNobeMPi63
— PA State Police (@PAStatePolice) February 24, 2017
Hernandez has prior felony convictions from 2002 for assault and threatening, as well as several more misdemeanor convictions, according to ICE. It is unclear how he returned to the U.S after he was deported.
Police immediately suspected Hernandez’s father in her abduction. He and the girl were located around 11 a.m. Friday, when a state trooper noticed the 2017 silver Hyundai Sonata Hernandez that was described in the alert.
Hernandez refused to pull the car over, which sparked a high-speed chase on Interstate 99 near Benner Township, Pennsylvania, according to state police. While traveling at high speeds, Hernandez struck the trailer of a truck, which caused the pursuing police officer to then rear-end his vehicle, police said.
The girl suffered minor injuries in the crash, but authorities determined her to be “safe.” Hernandez was taken to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries, the extent of which are unclear.
Hernandez is suspected of killing the girl’s mother prior to the abduction, ABC owned station WABC-TV reported, citing Bridgeport Police.
Criminal and traffic charges against Hernandez are forthcoming, according to state police. ICE has also placed an immigration detainer with the Bridgeport Police Department, the federal agency said.
The Bridgeport Police Department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
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