Denver police captured a 22-year-old homicide suspect late Friday after a desperate search for him and a missing 3-year-old girl.
Angel Ray Montoya, who is a registered sex offender according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records, was caught near the intersection of 13th Avenue and Lincoln near the State Capitol just before 8 p.m. Friday.
He was being held late Friday for investigation of homicide, but police were still unable to say for certain the fate of 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos, who was reported missing earlier in the day.
“We believe that this individual played a major part in her disappearance and possible death,” said Denver Police spokesman John White. He declined to say why police believe the child might be dead or why they had been unable to confirm her death.
The arrest came more than six hours after police began a citywide search for Montoya and the girl and after a bizarre series of twists in the case.
At about 1:30 Friday afternoon, the girl’s mother reported that two suspects had snatched the girl in an alley in the 1000 block of Cherokee Street as the mother and girl walked to a hospital. Authorities issued an Amber Alert and put out a description of a tall, red-headed suspect with blue jeans and a white T-shirt.
But the Amber Alert was soon canceled, and White said police had been unable to substantiate the mother’s story. Instead, detectives began calling the case a missing persons investigation and asked the public’s help in locating Montoya.
It was unclear why detectives focused in on Montoya, and police did not describe any relationship between Montoya and Gallegos.
Montoya, who also has a conviction for child abuse on his record, was spotted in the 1200 block of Logan Street, sparking a manhunt across the city.
“Every minute is crucial in terms of our investigation,” White said in the afternoon.
But as the day wore on, police had little luck in finding Montoya until plainclothes officers spotted him near the Capitol. Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said there was a brief chase before Montoya was arrested.
“The officers were alert enough to recognize him right away,” Jackson said.
Montoya was quickly taken to the Denver City Jail, where he is expected to make a court appearance Saturday. Crime scene investigators put a newspaper and a black duffel bag left at the arrest scene into evidence.
But less certain were the whereabouts of Niveah Gallegos.
“It would be great if she were somewhere else, and she hasn’t been killed,” Jackson said. “But we don’t know that.”
Staff writer John Ingold can be reached at 720-929-0898 or jingold@denverpost.com.
