Tijuana police arrested a 40-year-old woman and her two daughters early Tuesday after finding a 72-year-old man dead inside a home in the Lomas de la Presa neighborhood. The victim, identified as José Pérez Arroyo, had more than 20 stab wounds to his abdomen and chest.
Officers responded around 1 a.m. to reports of shouting and a fight at the residence. When they arrived, they spotted the body through a window and entered the home. Pérez Arroyo was lying on the floor with his feet bound with tape. All three women were covered in blood.
Multiple Weapons Recovered at the Scene
Investigators recovered a machete, an ice pick, scissors, and a broken beer bottle from the home. Paramedics who examined the body counted more than 20 wounds, concentrated on the torso.
According to authorities, Pérez Arroyo was the girlfriend’s live-in partner. He shared the residence with the 40-year-old woman and her daughters, one of whom is a minor. Police have not released the names of the three suspects.
Suspects Transferred to State Prosecutors
All three were transferred to the Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE), Baja California’s State Attorney General’s office, for formal investigation. The involvement of a minor as a suspect will shape how prosecutors handle the case. Under Mexican law, minors accused of serious crimes are processed through a separate juvenile justice system with different sentencing guidelines than those applied to adults.
The Lomas de la Presa neighborhood sits in the eastern part of Tijuana, an area of hillside residential streets. The killing took place inside a private home, making it a domestic homicide rather than the type of street-level violence more commonly associated with organized crime in the city.
What Comes Next
Prosecutors will now determine the formal charges. Possible charges include homicide, and investigators will examine whether the killing was premeditated or occurred during an altercation. The adult suspects face potential sentences under Baja California’s penal code, while the minor would be handled separately.
The case was first reported by Punto Norte on July 7.