Two Chilean nationals charged in Oxford burglary, multi-state theft probe

A burglary on St. Andrews Road in Oxford quickly grew into a multi-state theft probe after investigators found forced-entry evidence, tracked a suspect vehicle through several states and helped trigger arrests in Missouri.

Oxford police said the case began on May 16, when officers responded to a burglary at a home in Lafayette County and learned that jewelry worth more than $100,000, and in some reports more than $140,000, had been stolen. At the scene, investigators identified a point of entry and recovered footprints and a partial fingerprint, giving detectives the first physical evidence to work with.

Surveillance video then showed multiple people getting into a vehicle parked nearby that did not belong to anyone in the area. Police used traffic cameras and license-plate readers to follow that vehicle, including a plate change that investigators said showed it entered Oxford with a different license plate than the one it had later on the road. The trail led through Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois, linking the Oxford burglary to a wider pattern that investigators believe may include similar break-ins in Alabama and other states.

Oxford police shared the information with the Missouri Highway Patrol, which arrested Fabian Ignacio Navarro-Aliaga, 27, and Marcelo Alejandro Telechea-Droguett, 36, after a foot pursuit in Missouri. One local report said the men were being held in Greene County Jail. Both men were charged by Oxford police with burglary, forced entry, and both also face federal charges. Immigration detainers were placed on them, and local reporting says both admitted they are citizens of Chile and are in the United States illegally.

The recovery effort is still underway. Police said jewelry, firearms and other stolen items were recovered and are being identified by their owners. Investigators are also looking at whether the two men are tied to additional burglaries in Jasper County, Missouri, and other jurisdictions, with more charges pending in several states.

For Lafayette County homeowners, the case shows the warning signs investigators say matter: signs of forced entry, fresh footprints near a house, and unfamiliar vehicles moving through neighborhoods with plates that do not match. In this investigation, those details helped stitch together a burglary route that crossed state lines before ending in an arrest.