Illegal immigrants arrested in death of Air Force cadet candidate had suitcases packed: report

Packed suitcases were found during the arrests of two illegal immigrants charged in the death of an Air Force cadet candidate over the weekend. 

Over Memorial Day weekend, 18-year-old Ava Moore was killed while kayaking on Lake Grapevine in Texas after she was hit by a jet ski. 

The suspected driver of the jet ski and a man who allegedly helped her flee, both illegal immigrants from Venezuela, were arrested in Dallas Tuesday. 

Daikerlyn Alejandraa Gonzalez-Gonzalez, 22, was charged with second-degree manslaughter, a felony.

Maikel Coello Perozo, 21, is accused of picking her up and fleeing.

Authorities allege Perozo hit another vehicle while speeding off.

He has been charged with a collision involving damage to a vehicle and hindering apprehension, both misdemeanors. 

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by FOX 4, the suspects were found with their bags packed at the time of their arrests.

Perozo reportedly told police he helped Gonzalez flee so she could avoid being captured. 

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department led the investigation.

President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security on Thursday slammed the previous administration for open-border policies it says led to the death of the Air Force cadet candidate.

“Ava Moore was a patriot serving her country when she was killed by an illegal immigrant in a hit-and-run over Memorial Day weekend. This senseless tragedy was 100 percent preventable,” DHS said in a post on X. 

“Daikerlyn Gonzalez and Maikel Perozo entered the US illegally in 2023 and were released into our interior,” the post continued. 

“The previous administration’s open border policies have cost too many Americans their lives. President Trump and Secretary Noem will continue to stand with victims of illegal immigrant crime and their families.”

At a news conference Wednesday, Joshua Johnson, acting field director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Emergency Removal Operations in Dallas, first confirmed the pair were present in the United States illegally. 

“It’s my understanding that both the individuals crossed the southern border in 2023 or 2024,” Johnson said. “They were arrested at the time of entry, processed on a notice to appear and then released on their own recognizance.”

He said ICE filed detainers for the suspects, and they will be processed for removal after criminal proceedings are concluded in Texas.

Moore was remembered as a star basketball player whose lifelong dream was to be a four-star general in the military, according to her coach at the US Air Force Academy Preparatory School in Colorado. 

“You know, we talked throughout the course of the year that, at some point in her career, she was going to be a four-star general because she loved it,” Ke’sha Blanton told FOX 4. “She made those around her better.

“They took a bright, bright star from our lives.” 

Moore was scheduled to begin as an Air Force cadet in the upcoming weeks and was part of the US Air Force Academy’s Class of 2029, the school confirmed.

Peter D’Abrosca joined Fox News Digital in 2025 after four years as a politics reporter at The Tennessee Star. 

He grew up in Rhode Island and is a graduate of Elon University.