After Trump’s Deportation, Guatemalan Couple Found Bound and Shot Dead

A Guatemalan couple who had recently reunited after one of them was deported from the United States has been found bound, gagged, and fatally shot in a sugar cane field, leaving behind three young daughters and raising renewed questions about the human consequences of U.S. immigration enforcement.

Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz and Glenda Marisol González

Guatemalan authorities say 43-year-old Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz and 25-year-old Glendy Marisol González de la Cruz were discovered dead after they disappeared while traveling to register a motorcycle. Their 14-month-old daughter was found alive beside her mother’s body, severely dehydrated but conscious, she is currently receiving medical treatment.

The couple had previously lived in Overland, Missouri, after leaving Guatemala in search of safety and economic opportunity. According to reporting from St. Louis Public Radio, Pérez Paz was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March 2025 while traveling to work with his brother. Both men were living in the United States without legal status, and Pérez Paz was later deported to Guatemala.

His wife remained in Missouri with their children while pursuing an asylum case, but after months of financial hardship and growing fears that she, too, could be detained, González de la Cruz made the difficult decision to return to Guatemala with their daughters so the family could be together again.

Only weeks after reuniting, the couple vanished.

Family members reported them missing on July 20 after they failed to return home from an errand. Authorities later found their bodies in a sugar cane field. Investigators in Guatemala have not publicly identified any suspects or announced a motive, and the killings remain under investigation.

The deaths have sparked outrage among immigrant rights advocates, who argue the case illustrates the dangers some deported families face after being forced to return to countries they fled.

The family’s tragedy has also reignited debate over U.S. immigration policy. While immigration enforcement officials argue deportations are necessary to uphold federal law and protect public safety, advocates say cases like this underscore the life-threatening risks some migrants face after being returned to countries plagued by violence, instability, and poverty.

As of publication, ICE has not publicly commented on the deaths, and Guatemalan prosecutors continue to investigate the killings.

A community vigil honoring Pérez Paz and González de la Cruz is scheduled to take place on August 2 in Overland, Missouri, where the family had built their life before returning to Guatemala.

Every year, thousands of people flee their home countries to escape gang violence, political persecution, religious persecution, domestic abuse, and other credible threats to their lives. Under both U.S. and international law, people who arrive at the U.S. border have the legal right to seek asylum if they fear persecution in their home country. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has dramatically restricted access to asylum through executive actions, border policies, and expanded deportations, making it significantly more difficult for many migrants to present their claims.

While the investigation into this family’s murders is ongoing and there is no evidence U.S. officials were involved in their deaths, their story has become a painful reminder of the risks some deported migrants face after being forced to return to the very places they believed were too dangerous to stay.