Couple arrested after dead toddler found in duffle bag at border crossing

A California couple was arrested Tuesday while trying to cross the U.S./Mexico border, after Mexican authorities found the body of a dead toddler in their duffle bag, according to San Diego police.

Johnny Lewis Hartley, 39, and Mercy Mary Becerra, 43, were detained at a pedestrian crossing in San Ysidro on their way to Tijuana, KTLA reported.

Police said Mexican authorities discovered the body when they x-rayed the couple’s duffle bag, which Hartley was carrying.

"We were informed that a gentleman was detained who was carrying a duffel bag that contained the body of a small child, San Diego police Lt. Ray Valentin said in a statement, KTLA reported.

Hartley was turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Control and then to the San Diego police department.

According to KSWB-TV, Becerra tried to flee, but was later caught.

The child appeared to be around two-years-old and was not related to the couple, KSWB-TV reported.

Hartley and Becerra, who live in Whittier, Calif., were booked at San Diego facilities on suspicion of first-degree murder and child cruelty, KTLA-TV reported.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determine what caused the child’s death.

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