By The Star Staff
A federal grand jury indicted José Martínez Serrano and Edwin Yadiel Flores Tavárez for kidnapping resulting in death and possession and use of a firearm in a violent crime, in a case involving the killing of two teenage girls whose bodies were found at a beach in Piñones in the northeast coastal town of Loíza last summer, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico W. Stephen Muldrow announced Thursday.
“These defendants brutally kidnapped and murdered two young women,” Muldrow said in a written statement.
According to the indictment, the kidnapping occurred on July 25, 2023, where the defendants, with the help of others, kidnapped and murdered Tanisha de Jesús Curet, 15, and Naya Ramos López, 13. The crime involved the use of a 2022 Ford EcoSport and a cell phone, the indictment said.
The two girls, who were close friends, had been reported missing in the municipality of Arroyo. Their bodies were found in the beach area of Piñones in a Toyota Tacoma that was stolen in a carjacking from a merchant in Ponce.
Joseph González, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Juan field office, thanked the Puerto Rico Police and the Carolina Municipal Police for their support.
“Our commitment has been to bring the criminals responsible to justice,” González said.
The defendants face life in prison if convicted. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, the Puerto Rico Police and the Carolina Municipal Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Julián Radzinschi.