Two women held at gunpoint, one killed

UPDATE: Liberty County Sheriff’s Investigator Sean Mitchell has advised that he has the gray Ford pickup truck in his custody at this time as the wanted suspect, Jose Marin Soriano, has now switched vehicles. He is now thought to be driving a relative’s black 2009 Honda Accord, Texas License plate number NDD 7500.

If Soriano is seen, do not attempt to approach him, but to call the Sheriff’s Office at 936-336-4500 immediately as Soriano is considered armed and dangerous. Also, remember that a “tip” to the Multi-County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-392-STOP 7867 may result in a cash reward and the caller will remain anonymous.

A frantic 911 call to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Dispatcher at approximately 6:12 p.m. this evening by a female caller who said she was chained to a bed while her friend was killed in a car outside the residence on CR 3415, sent deputies to the scene where they found a female deceased in a burned out vehicle across the road from the residence. The deputies also found another female chained at the ankle and a rope tied around her neck inside the house located in the Rancho San Vicente subdivision in north Liberty County.

Lead Sheriff’s Investigators Sean Mitchell and Ann Marie Mitchell began piecing the information together in the very early stages of the investigation after interviewing the female who had been chained to a bed. According to preliminary information, it appears that both women worked at cleaning  houses for 59-year-old Jose Marin Soriano who lives at the residence on CR 3415. It is reported that Soriano had some revealing photos of the deceased female and he had told the victim that he would delete the photos if she would meet him at his home this evening. It is unknown if Soriano took the photos or if the deceased sent the photos to him at some point.

When the two women arrived at the home of Soriano, he allegedly pulled a gun and sexually assaulted the female chained to the bed. Evidently in an attempt to escape the house, the deceased female got into her vehicle and attempted to back out of the yard but the car crashed into the woods across the street from Soriano’s home. For some unknown reason the vehicle caught fire and the female was badly burned. However, investigators said an obvious gunshot wound was found when the woman was later examined. It appears that in Soriano’s haste to stop the woman from leaving in her car, he left his cell phone in the house and it was his cell phone the rape victim used to call the sheriff’s dispatcher.

From information gained at the scene it was found that Soriano fled the scene in a gray Ford pickup truck and it also appears that Soriano is armed and could be dangerous. Investigators consider him to be a public safety threat and he should not be approached until law enforcement has been notified.

The deceased female is not being identified until the next of kin has been notified. The female rape victim was taken by ground ambulance to a hospital for observation.

Pct. 6 Justice of the Peace Ralph Fuller conducted the inquest and ordered an autopsy.

Investigators are asking anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of this person of interest, Jose Marin Soriano, to contact the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office at 936-336-4500 or the Multi-County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-392 STOP (7867). Anyone providing a Crime Stopper “tip” leading to the arrest of Soriano may be eligible for a cash reward and their identity will remain anonymous.