Four Alleged MS-13 Members Indicted in 14-Year-Old's Slaying in Prince George's County
Four people were indicted March 4 in the killing of 14‑year‑old Jefferson Amaya‑Ayala after his remains were found in Indian Creek Stream Valley Park in College Park.
Prosecutors charged three adults and an unidentified 17‑year‑old March 4 in the slaying of 14‑year‑old Jefferson Amaya‑Ayala, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson announced. The defendants named in the indictment are Jose Vladimir Merlos‑Majano, 18; Alan Josai Garcia‑Padilla, 21; William Cuellar Gutierrez, 19; and a 17‑year‑old juvenile. The indictment lists first‑degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and participation in a criminal organization.
Investigators say Amaya‑Ayala, a Washington, D.C., resident, was last seen Aug. 2, 2025 on the 1400 block of Sheridan Street NW in the Brightwood neighborhood and was believed to have been lured to Indian Creek Stream Valley Park in College Park that same day. Officers recovered what appeared to be possible human remains in the park on Nov. 3, 2025; the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later identified the remains as Jefferson Amaya‑Ayala and determined he “died from multiple injuries,” ruling the death a homicide.
State and local authorities have characterized the case as gang‑related. Tara Jackson and police investigators say all four people indicted are MS‑13 members, and Prince George’s County Police Department previously described the death as gang‑related. Federal and local law‑enforcement descriptions of MS‑13 note the gang, also known as Mara Salvatrucha 13, is an international network with roots in El Salvador and has cliques that operate in Prince George’s County and neighboring Montgomery County.
WJLA reporting identifies Merlos‑Majano, Garcia‑Padilla and Gutierrez as from Washington, D.C., and names the 17‑year‑old as a Hyattsville resident; custody records show Gutierrez and the juvenile are held at the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections, Merlos‑Majano is in custody in D.C., and Garcia‑Padilla is detained in Alexandria awaiting extradition to Prince George’s County. Fox News reported that the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the four are undocumented immigrants; that immigration claim is reported by Fox as the sole source for DHS confirmation in available material.
Federal and local partners assisted in the recovery of remains: Prince George’s County police worked alongside the FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department, law‑enforcement sources say. Investigators have also said Amaya‑Ayala knew at least one of the four people indicted. The county gang unit continues to probe motive and the specific circumstances surrounding the Aug. 2 killing as prosecutors move ahead with the newly returned indictment and as extradition and booking processes proceed.
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