The Berks County District Attorney’s Office has confirmed that a Reading woman and her one-year-old son, who had been reported missing earlier this month, were found dead in Ontelaunee Township. Both deaths have been ruled homicides following autopsies conducted this week.
Authorities said the investigation began on Friday, September 19, at approximately 8:15 p.m., when the body of a woman was discovered in a grassy field off East Huller Lane in Ontelaunee Township. Detectives from the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, the Reading Police Department, the Berks County Forensic Services Unit, and the Northern Berks Regional Police Department responded to the scene and began a death investigation.
Investigators noted signs of foul play and, based on clothing and other details, suspected the woman might be Geraldina Peguero-Mancebo, 31, who had been reported missing to the Reading Police Department. Authorities were also aware that her one-year-old son, Jeyden Junior Peguero, was missing.
The following day, on Saturday, September 20, at around 12:00 p.m., investigators located the body of a toddler approximately 150 yards west of the field where the woman was found. The child’s body was partially submerged in a marshy area.
Autopsies conducted Monday, September 22, at Tower Health Reading Hospital confirmed that both deaths were homicides and positively identified the victims as Peguero-Mancebo and her son.
The discovery of their bodies came days after another homicide investigation involving a man with ties to the victims. On September 13, at about 6:30 a.m., officers near Baer Park in Reading observed a male in the brush along River Road. The man, identified as 31-year-old Junior Cabrera-Colon, was found deceased with a gunshot wound to the head.
According to Reading Police, Cabrera-Colon lived with Peguero-Mancebo and her son. Neither had been seen or heard from since September 12, prompting investigators to enter them as “Missing Persons Endangered” in the National Crime Database.
As the investigation progressed, Reading Police identified 61-year-old Jose Luis Rodriguez of Reading as a suspect in Cabrera-Colon’s killing. Rodriguez was interviewed on Thursday, September 18, and confessed to shooting Cabrera-Colon and dumping his body along River Road. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and related crimes, and is being held at Berks County Prison.
Authorities said investigators searching for Peguero-Mancebo and her son later identified the Ontelaunee Township location where the victims were ultimately discovered. The Berks County District Attorney’s Office is now leading the investigation into their deaths.
District Attorney John T. Adams has announced he will hold a press conference on Monday, September 29, to provide additional details.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Berks County Detective’s Office at 610-478-7171, the Reading Police Department at 610-655-6116, or Crime Alert Berks County at 877-373-9913.
