Four charged with teen’s murder in College Park

By Alvin Wu
Domestic Affairs
Four charged with teen’s murder in College Park

Police-released mugshots. Left to right: William Cuellar Gutierrez, Jose Merlos-Majano, Alan Josai Garcia-Padilla. PGPD/Handout

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Jan. 18 (ZFJ) — Four suspects have been charged with the murder of Jefferson Amaya-Ayala, 14, of Washington, D.C., at a park in College Park, Md.

The suspects are Jose Merlos-Majano, 18; Alan Josai Garcia-Padilla, 21; and William Cuellar Gutierrez, 19, all of Washington, D.C., and a 17-year-old juvenile from Hyattsville, Md.

Amaya-Ayala’s remains were discovered by the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) on Nov. 3, 2025, while searching Indian Creek Stream Valley Park as part of a missing persons investigation with D.C. police and the FBI Cross Border Task Force. The Maryland Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) found that he died from multiple injuries and ruled his death a homicide.

The preliminary investigation indicates that Amaya-Ayala was lured to the park and murdered on Aug. 2, 2025. Police say that he knew at least one of the suspects and believe the murder was gang-related, although they are still investigating the motive.

Cuellar Gutierrez and the juvenile suspect are in the custody of the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections (PGDC). Merlos-Majano is in custody in D.C., while Garcia-Padilla is in custody in Alexandria, Va., and both are pending extradition to P.G. County.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to speak with a homicide detective at (301) 516-2512 or contact Crime Solvers online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com or via the P3 Tips mobile app and reference case number 25-0061413.

The charges against Merlos-Majano, Garcia-Padilla, Gutierrez, and the juvenile suspect are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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