Four charged in ‘gang-related’ murder of DC boy in Maryland
by: Brian Farrell
Posted: Jan 17, 2026 / 06:52 PM EST
Updated: Jan 17, 2026 / 06:52 PM EST
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Police said four people face charges in the killing of a 14-year-old boy whose remains were found in November 2025 after he had been reported missing.
Investigators said Jose Merlos-Majano, 18, Alan Josai Garcia-Padilla, 21, and William Cuellar Gutierrez, 19, of Washington, D.C., along with a 17-yearold from Hyattsville, Md., were part of luring Jefferson Amaya-Ayala, 14, of Washington, D.C. to Indian Creek Stream Valley Park in College Park, Md. and murdering him.
The Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) said Amaya-Ayala knew at least one of the people charged in his killing which it described as “gang-related,” noting that the reason for the murder still wasn’t clear as of Jan. 17, 2026.
PGPD said Amaya-Ayala’s remains were found in the park on Nov. 3, 2025 while police helped members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and FBI Cross Border Task Force their investigation into the 14-year-old boy’s disappearance. Investigators believe Amaya-Ayala was killed on Aug. 2, 2025.
As of Jan. 17, Cuellar Gutierrez and the 17-year-old who was arrested were in the custody of the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections. Merlos-Majano was in custody in D.C. Garcia-Padilla iwas in custody in Alexandria. Both were awaiting extradition to Prince George’s County.