Missouri couple found shot to death in Guatemala field weeks after deportation, with 1-year-old daughter still alive beside them

A Guatemalan man, previously deported from the United States and his wife, who recently self-deported from Missouri to join him, were discovered fatally shot in a sugarcane field in southwestern Guatemala, according to Reuters. 43-year-old Nixon Giovanni Perez and Glendy Marisol Gonzalez, 25, were found with their hands tied behind their backs outside the city of Retalhuleu. Their 1-year-old daughter was found dehydrated but alive right beside them.

Per the outlet, police reported that Perez appeared to have a gunshot wound to his neck, while Gonzalez had a wound to her head. Authorities recovered shell casings and a single pink and white Champion shoe at the scene, along with a red striped motorbike. The couple had been reported missing the previous week, as noted by local news reports. 

The path that led the couple to this point began last year in Overland, Missouri. Per St. Louis Public Radio (SLPR), Perez and his brother, Rolando, were on their way to their roofing jobs when they were stopped by ICE agents. Rolando Perez told the outlet that a group of agents exited an unmarked vehicle and swarmed them, taking them out of their white work van. The men were then placed in handcuffs and shackles before being transported to the Phelps County Jail.

Children orphaned and a community shaken

An ICE spokesperson confirmed to SLPR that agents arrested Perez for being unlawfully present in the United States. The agency claimed Perez had prior convictions for drunken driving and a 2010 open-container charge in Florida. However, no records appear in the Missouri court database to support the account of the drunken driving convictions. Additionally, the open-container charge was dropped by prosecutors. 

Regarding the arrest, an ICE spokesperson told SLPR, “Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists.” The spokesperson added, “ICE remains committed to removing criminal aliens from our communities by enforcing immigration laws and maintaining the integrity of our borders.”

Following the deportation of her husband, Gonzalez reportedly remained in Missouri to care for their children. Members of Fuerza, an immigrant rights group that Gonzalez was involved with, shared on social media, “Glendy came to our Fuerza meetings three weeks after giving birth. She was working two jobs, bringing new members, showing up — even as her world was being torn apart.” 

According to SLPR, the group noted, “In June, to protect her daughters and keep the rest of her family together — and fearing she might lose custody of the girls — Glendy made the impossible decision to go back to Guatemala, even with an asylum court date set for 2027.” Earlier this year, when a Venezuelan mom tried to self-deport, she was turned away at the gate.  

Overland Mayor Marty Little confirmed to SLPR that the city was not notified about the federal operation that led to the initial arrest. “We were not notified; we didn’t know what was going on,” Little said. “They were in Overland and left without us knowing about it.” 

The mayor also noted that unannounced federal operations can create public safety concerns because local police are unaware of the activity. “Seeing the end result here should put everything in perspective as to what this situation is,” Little told SLPR. 

He added, “To know that somebody’s fear, status notwithstanding, they might be here for a reason. There’s an impact there that would cause bodily harm to them — or ultimately death in this situation.” In one controversial example,  a Togo woman who sought asylum to escape genital mutilation was sent back. 

Rolando Perez, who claims to be caring for his brother’s three daughters in Guatemala, also expressed deep frustration with the process. “I felt that they took the thing I wanted most,” he told SLPR. 

“I felt a huge pain because it was my brother, my sister-in-law — people that wanted to work, to fight. If immigration hadn’t picked up my brother, my sister-in-law would still be alive, and the children wouldn’t be going through this sorrow. Unfortunately, immigration — the [U.S.] government — doesn’t see that. It makes no difference to them.”

The outlet noted that the Missouri Workers Center has announced that it will hold a vigil for the couple on August 2 at 6:00 PM outside Overland City Hall. As of now, Guatemalan prosecutors are investigating the killings, but they have not publicly identified a suspect or a specific motive. 

According to U.N. data, nearly 32,000 people were deported to Guatemala in the first six months of 2026, representing a 47% increase from the same period the previous year. Over 90% of those individuals were sent from the United States.