Authorities arrested a San Jose mother early Tuesday wanted in connection with the death of her seven-year-old son.
She's accused of leaving his body near a Las Vegas hiking trail.
Samantha Moreno Rodriguez, 35, was found and arrested in Denver by the Denver Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, led by the FBI. She will be booked into an area jail pending extradition to Las Vegas.
Authorities alerted the public of a nationwide search for Rodriguez on Monday and issued an open warrant for her arrest less than two weeks after her son's lifeless body was found by hikers at a trailhead between Las Vegas and Pahrump. It's believed Liam Husted had recently been placed there.
"He was clearly the victim of a homicide," Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Ray Spencer said at a press conference on Monday.
Prior to Tuesday's arrest, Rodriguez was last seen checking into a Denver hotel on May 31. The boy's father, who notified police his son was missing on June 1, is not considered a suspect in his death.
At a press conference on Tuesday, San Jose Police Sergeant Christian Camarillo told reporters that when the boy's father first notified the police, he was not sure, at that point, what action he wanted officers to take and did not end up filing an official child abduction or missing persons report.
"He felt it was important enough to come and report it and have us document it," Sgt. Camarillo said. "However, he was not sure what charges he wanted to pursue, if any."
When asked why the mother was in Las Vegas, he said that she was "apparently all over the neighboring states," but that investigators there are currently handling and looking into why.
Sgt. Camarillo added that San Jose Police will help Las Vegas Police however they can, just as they did when they were alerted the deceased boy could be connected to San Jose.
It's not clear what charges Rodriguez will face upon extradition.
An investigation is ongoing.
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