LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas – Deputies are searching for a man after a woman was found dead inside a burning car in Liberty County and another woman was found close by chained up inside a home, deputies said.
These incidents occurred on County Road 3415 at County Road 3425 around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Deputies said they received a frantic 911 call around 6:12 p.m. by a woman who said she was chained to a bed while her friend was killed in a car outside the residence.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they found a woman dead inside a burned vehicle across the road from the residence. Deputies said they also found another woman chained at the ankle and a rope tied around her neck inside the house located in the Rancho San Vicente subdivision in north Liberty County.
After investigating, deputies said it appears that both women worked at cleaning houses for 59-year-old Jose Marin Soriano, who lives at the residence.
Deputies said Soriano had some revealing photos of the now-deceased woman and he had told the victim that he would delete the photos if she would meet him at his home. It is unknown if Soriano took the photos or if the woman, who is now dead, sent the photos to him at some point.
When the two women arrived at Soriano’s home, deputies said he allegedly pulled a gun and sexually assaulted the woman chained to the bed. In an attempt to escape the house, the now-deceased woman got into her vehicle and attempted to back out of the yard, but the car crashed into the woods across the street from Soriano’s home.
For unknown reasons, investigators said the vehicle caught fire and the woman was badly burned. However, investigators said a gunshot wound was found when the woman was later examined. It appears that in Soriano’s haste to stop the woman from leaving in her car, he left his cellphone in the house and it was his cellphone the other victim used to call the sheriff’s department, deputies said.
Deputies said Soriano fled the scene in a gray Ford pickup truck, which was found Monday. Investigators believe Soriano swapped cars and is now driving a 2009 black Honda Accord with Texas license plate number NDD 7500. They say that vehicle belongs to a family member of the fugitive. Investigators say Soriano is armed and could be dangerous.
Investigators consider him to be a public safety threat and he should not be approached until law enforcement has been notified.
The deceased victim is not being identified until the next of kin has been notified, deputies said. Investigators said the other victim was taken by ground ambulance to a hospital for observation.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Soriano to contact the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office at 936-336-4500 or the Multi-County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-392-7867.
Anyone providing a Crime Stopper tip leading to the arrest of Soriano may be eligible for a cash reward and their identity will remain anonymous.