Patricia Alatorre was just thirteen-years-old when she was last seen and reported missing on July 1, 2020. Patricia is presumed deceased, and it is believed that suspect Armando Cruz, 24 of Los Angeles, California met her online, met her more than once, and took her life.
(Please note that gruesome details follow - Please stop reading if this may be harmful for you) It was believed that Cruz met with her personally after speaking with her online, where Patty sent him nude photographs of herself during their communication. The first time they physically met, he got her in the vehicle and he convinced her to perform oral sex on him, knowing that she was just thirteen years of age.
The second time Cruz physically met with Patty, July 1, he drove her around the block, against her will. Patty was screaming and was clear that she did not want to go with him. Cruz then allegedly raped her for several minutes, placed his hand over her mouth, strangling her while assaulting her. Believing that she was still alive, her duct tape her arms, forced something into her mouth, and covered her mouth and nose with duct tape with the intent of taking her life. After Patty died, he continued raping her corpse two more times, then set her body on fire with lighter fluid.
Cruz said he left Patty's body wrapped in a red sleeping bag behind a large construction vehicle in the area of Aviation Boulevard and West 118th Street in Inglewood, California. Investigators found that an unidentified female was found at that location on July 3, with similar details from the crime scene. It was later confirmed that Patty was in fact recovered and identified.
Cruz was arrested during his interview with Investigators. His cell phone contained thousands of child pornographic photos. He gave the location of where he thru her phone on his way back to his residence after her murder on Highway 99. Initially, Investigators assumed Patty was a runaway, until they obtained video that showed her in an older white truck in the area where she was last seen. Unfortunately, when her mother checked on her in the bedroom that morning, Patty wasn't there. Her clothes and pillows were placed under the bed sheet to make it seem as though she was sleeping. When she tried calling Patty's cell phone but her phone went directly to voicemail. The neighbor's Ringdoor camera caught Patty entering the vehicle later to be confirmed to be his.
Cruz was charged by the Kern County Superior Court with (1) First Degree Murder, (2) Rape by force/fear (3) Oral copulation by force victim under 14 (4) Oral copulation with child 14/15 defendant 10 years older (5) Lewd and lascivious acts with child under 14 with force (6) Aggravated sexual assault of minor by force (7) contact minor with intent to commit sexual offense (8) Contacting minor to commit sexual offense (9) Felony possession of matter depicting minor engaged in sexual conduct. October 4, 2022, he changed his plea to guilty, per agreement which took the death penalty off the table. Cruz kept his silence when he was asked if he accepted responsibility of Patty's death. He will never be let out of prison.
Information accumulated by:
Oxygen
KGET News