Juan Antonio Hidalgo-Flores, 39; Oscar Daniel Flores-Lara, 19 and Luis Eduardo Hidalgo-Flores, 18 were each indicted May 19 for murder, attempted murder and several counts of felonious assault for the stabbing death of 20-year-old Ivan Isreal Diaz and the assault of three others.
Hamilton Police Chief Craig Bucheit said the department has reached out to other agencies and are working to track down the suspects.
“We have engaged with not only local but federal partners including homeland security and the U.S. Marshals service,” Bucheit said, noting at least one of the men has contacts in Mexico. “We are considering all possibilities. We do have some leads and we are pursuing those leads.”
On Tuesday, the Chief said, “We have good information on the individuals. We have the indictments. The biggest challenge is tracking them down and bringing them into custody and that effort is ongoing.”
While officials are not sure where they are or if they are together, a good bet is Mexico, said Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.
“All the agencies that are looking for people are looking for them,” Gmoser said. “And as soon as they are located, if that is in Mexico, we have a very good chain of association with the authorities down there so we should be able to go through the extradition process very quickly.”
The grand jury also returned indictments against Sara Elena Rodriguez-Remigio, 46, for tampering with evidence and obstructing justice, according to court records.
Detectives say she hid the knife believed to be the murder weapon. Rodriguez-Remigio, of Pershing Avenue in Hamilton, is in the Butler County Jail.
Rodriguez-Remigio has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled to be back in Butler County Court on June 30 for a pre-trial hearing.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Evidence points to one person stabbing all four victims and one firing a gun in the building, but all the suspects are complicit in the act that resulted in Diaz’ death, detectives said. Another person fired a gun in the building, but no one was hit.
The indictment is 10 pages long and contains 53 felony counts for all four suspects. Prosecutors say Oscar Flores is the person who stabbed all four people and the other two were complicit to all the crimes.
The surviving victims ― Adan Edgardo Segoviano Hernandez, 21, of Hamilton; Joaquin Tovar, 56, of Hamilton; and Jerson Estrada Medrano, 21, of Hamilton ― were treated for severe lacerations which were not life-threatening, police said.
The stabbing incident that happened at FOP Lodge 38 on Joe Nuxhall Way on May 7 initially was reported to police as a shooting. Hamilton and Fairfield police officers and the Hamilton Fire Department were dispatched to the lodge where the quinceañera was taking place — that is a traditional birthday party on a girl’s 15th birthday celebrated among Mexican and Latinx communities and families.
Some uninvited guests arrived at the party, and at one point, someone fired a gun into the air, according to witnesses who called 911.
Diaz died of a stab wound, police said. A male who called 911 said Diaz was bleeding badly from a neck wound.
“A fight broke out … someone shot in the air. They chased him,” the caller said. Other callers also reported a shooting victim and a person who called for the bartender inside said a gun had been fired.
Mario Flores, cousin of Oscar and Juan, told the Journal-News the violence that night is a case of fighting families that began in March with a violent incident in Hamilton County at a private party at a club on Harrison Road. He said Diaz was a close friend of the other family. Both members of that family and the Flores family were at the March party.
“One of my cousins got jumped by 10 plus people when they were leaving, and stabbed,” Flores said. The cousin recovered but only with quick help from those nearby.
Anyone with knowledge about the whereabouts of Juan, Luis and Oscar Flores is asked to contact Hamilton police at (513) 868-5811, ext. 2002, or call 911.
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