Police identify third gang victim from Annapolis
October 30, 2017
Phil Davis
An Annapolis teenager missing since Aug. 5 was killed in a gang-related attack and buried in a hidden grave, the third such killing in the area reported in recent weeks.
Anne Arundel County police announced Monday afternoon that human remains found in a wooded area off Open View Lane in Annapolis Oct. 3 have been identified as Neris Goivani Bonilla-Palacios, 17. He was discovered a short distance from the spot where the remains of another homicide victim were found in August at Quiet Waters Park.
A police spokesman said Bonilla-Palacios’ death was apparently a targeted, gang-related attack and not a random act of violence, with signs of trauma found on his body. Investigators believe the teenager was killed around the time of his disappearance.
Anne Arundel police declined to comment any further on the ongoing investigation.
County Police Chief Timothy Altomare said earlier this month police had found three bodies, all of whom were killed in gang-related attacks, and had arrested multiple people in connection with their deaths.
However, Altomare demurred when asked for who the victims were, who was arrested and what gang or gangs were responsible for their deaths.
Bonilla-Palacios’ death marks the third teenager or young adult from the Annapolis area killed recently in gang-related violence.
Police said last week that Jose Hernandez-Portillo, 22, of the Annapolis area was killed in a gang-related attack. His body was found at Quiet Waters Park in August but was not immediately identified. Police now suspect he may have been hidden there for almost a year.
Police have not said if anyone has been charged in his death, and would not comment on what gang they believe to be responsible for his death.
Jenni Rivera-Lopez, 21, of Annapolis was found beaten to death and buried in a secret grave in Crownsville in September.
Police have charged four men and one woman with her death and were now face additional gang-related offenses, online court records show.
All five who were charged are being sought by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement for possible deportation as four are accused of emigrating into the country illegally from El Salvador and the fifth from Mexico.
Annapolis Mayor Michael Pantelides said the city is involved in a number of initiatives meant to combat gangs.
He pointed to the gang task force, which combines city, county and federal law enforcement officers and resources to target gang activity in Anne Arundel.
He added that the city offers parenting classes to the Hispanic communities and is running awareness campaigns at schools, particularly at Annapolis Middle School, where nearly 1/3 of the student population is Hispanic, according to the state.
Police have not said whether the gangs are targeting the Hispanic community specifically, despite the fact the department has also released Spanish-language gang awareness videos in recent weeks.
“If the parents aren’t there, gangs can act as a surrogate,” Pantelides said.
Gavin Buckley, Pantelides’ Democratic challenger in next week’s election, said the city should focus on expanding after-school programs for children.
“Camps, sports teams ... we have to find ways and grants to fund these things because if we don’t, there (are) going to be more problems,” he said.
He added Annapolis police need more Spanish-speaking officers “so the kids have someone they can approach.” Currently, seven officers speak Spanish, as do nine civilian employees.
All of this comes against the backdrop of a rising presence of MS-13, an El Salvador-based gang federal prosecutors and other police departments are responsible for a number of violent crimes and murders in the Washington D.C. suburbs and surrounding areas.
Law enforcement officials have said Rivera Lopez’s death, which police described in charging documents as one where she was lured to a meeting spot and beaten to death by a group of people, had all the signs of MS-13.
Two attacks — the beating of a student at Annapolis High School and a double stabbing last year where the attackers allegedly wielded machetes, knives and guns — have been linked to the gang.
Leaders in the Hispanic community have also pointed to the gang, as Annapolis and Anne Arundel have significant El Salvadoran populations.
Two missing persons cases — which Annapolis police addressed at a public forum with the Hispanic community in September — still remain open.
Police are still searching for David Rivera, 16, who has been missing since Aug. 29 and Javier Rodriguez, who was last seen on Aug. 7, 2015.
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