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Border Patrol agents catch murder suspect crossing river
December 23,2006
Michael Barnett
Monitor Staff Writer


BROWNSVILLE — The suspected murderer of a 16-year-old girl was arrested Saturday afternoon by Border Patrol agents as he was trying to swim into the United States with his 13-year-old daughter.

Samuel Villarreal, 38, was wanted in connection with last month’s murder of Aida Mae Rodriguez, with whom he lived in Mercedes.

Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies found Rodriguez’s burned body Nov. 26 in a field south of Donna.

The day before, her 7-month-old daughter, Briggette Mae, was discovered abandoned nude but otherwise unhurt on the side of a road north of Weslaco.

Villarreal is slated to be arraigned tomorrow on murder charges.