PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — Multiple law enforcement agencies are reportedly searching a field in Pflugerville, Texas, in connection with a possible “serial killer” who was arrested in late May.
The FBI, Austin Police Department, and Pflugerville Police Department are searching for Raul Meza Jr., the City of Pflugerville says, according to KTBC.
Meza was arrested on May 29 by the U.S. Marshals Service Lone Star Fugitive Task Force after the Pflugerville Police Department filed an arrest warrant, the Pflugerville Police Department said in a previous news release. The warrant charged him with capital murder in relation to a murder investigation.
Meza allegedly confessed to murdering Jesse Fraga, 80, and Gloria Lofton in 2019, KVUE reported.
Fraga was found on May 20 stabbed to death at a house on Camp Fire Trail, which is about a few blocks from where the FBI and police are searching, KTBC reported. The field is near W. Pecan Street and N. Heatherwild Boulevard in Pflugerville. Lofton was sexually assaulted and strangled to death.
A DNA match was in Lofton’s case in 2020 but Meza was not charged until his alleged confession when he was arrested on May 29, the news outlet reported.
When Meza was arrested, Deputy U.S. Marshal Brendon Filla said that Meza had a bag with zip ties, duct tape, and a .22-caliber weapon with additional rounds inside, according to KTBC He allegedly told deputies that he was “ready to kill again.”
His arrest came over 40 years since Meza reportedly pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl, KTBC reported. The girl was identified as Kendra Page by KVUE. He was given a 30-year sentence for that crime, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Investigators say Meza may be a serial killer who is tied to at least 10 other murders, the newspaper reported. They have been looking into cases that date back to 1996 that Meza was possibly involved in, KVUE reported.
It’s not clear what investigators are searching for in the field.