Federal authorities have charged a 29-year-old man, identified as Raul Genesis Ortiz Moran, with the murder and sexual assault of a 2-year-old girl in rural Virginia. Moran, who is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody following a two-week investigation into the child's death on July 4.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated that the tragedy was "completely avoidable" and that Moran "should have never been in our country." Bis also criticized Virginia's "sanctuary policies," asserting they have made the state a "hotbed for illegal alien crime."
Moran and the child's mother brought the unresponsive child to the Goochland County Sheriff's Office on July 4. Deputies initiated life-saving measures before the girl was transported to a Richmond hospital, where she could not be saved. Detectives interviewed the mother and Moran, who is not the child's biological father, but initially lacked sufficient forensic evidence to secure federal warrants.
Investigators alerted ICE due to concerns that Moran might flee. Louisa County Sheriff Donnie Lowe described the period as one requiring extreme caution, emphasizing the worry that the suspect might disappear. Moran was arrested on July 17 and charged with second-degree murder and aggravated sexual battery.
Records indicate that Moran had a prior interaction with law enforcement just two days before the alleged crimes, having been stopped and charged with driving without a license in Hanover County, Virginia. Moran's court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday morning.