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A US Border Patrol agent has been arrested in the state of Texas on suspicion of killing four women.

Officers began looking for Juan David Ortiz in the city of Laredo after a fifth woman allegedly escaped from him and got help from local police.

Mr Ortiz, who has worked for the force for a decade, initially fled but was later arrested in a hotel parking lot.

The names of the four victims have not been revealed. Police said they had been working as prostitutes.

Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said police believed Mr Ortiz had acted alone.

"The county, the city can rest assured we have the serial killer in custody," Sheriff Cuellar said, in quotes reported by the Laredo Times newspaper.

Two of the victims were found earlier this month in a rural area by the Interstate 35 road, and the third and fourth victims were found in the same area in recent days, according to local reports.

A 42-year-old woman had been found injured on Thursday but died in hospital.

'Horrific case'

District Attorney Isidro Alaniz described the killings as a "horrific case" and confirmed Mr Ortiz was set to face four charges of murder and one of aggravated kidnapping.

He said the cause of death was similar for all four women who, authorities believe, were killed over two weeks.

He said all of the victims had worked as prostitutes and that investigators were trying to find a motive for the killings.

Two of the victims were US citizens and one was a transgender woman, he added. Few other details have been released.

The Texas Tribune reports the fifth woman fled from a petrol station after Mr Ortiz allegedly pointed a gun at her when she tried to get out of his vehicle.

Andrew Meehan, assistant commissioner for public affairs for US Customs and Border Protection, confirmed in a statement that the agency was co-operating with police.

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A US Border Patrol agent has been charged with murder following what police have called a two-week serial killing spree that left four prostitutes dead.

Juan David Ortiz was arrested after a fifth woman escaped at a petrol station and alerted police.

The 35-year-old Border Patrol intel supervisor was found hiding in a Texas car park at around 2am after he initially fled police on Saturday.

He has been charged with four counts of murder as well as aggravated assault and unlawful restraint.</s>A U.S. Border Patrol agent was arrested early Saturday on the suspicion that he killed four prostitutes and abducted a fifth, who escaped.The agent, Juan David Ortiz, was captured after a woman whom he tried to abduct escaped, Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said at a news conference. Sheriff Martin Cuellar said Ortiz fled from state troopers and was found hiding in the parking lot of a hotel in Laredo, a border city about 145 miles (235 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio.Alaniz said investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the killings, though he described Ortiz as a serial killer. He said all of the women worked as prostitutes.Cuellar said investigators have "very strong evidence" that Ortiz is responsible for the deaths of the four women. But authorities declined to discuss the evidence or say how the women were killed.Alaniz said authorities were planning on filing four murder charges and one charge of aggravated kidnapping against Ortiz.A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson confirmed Ortiz is a supervisory Border Patrol agent. But the spokesperson referred all other questions to authorities in Webb County and the Texas Department of Public Safety.</s>Authorities say U.S. Border Patrol agent in Texas is suspected of having killed four women and abducting a fifth

LAREDO, Texas (AP) — Authorities say U.S. Border Patrol agent in Texas is suspected of having killed four women and abducting a fifth.</s>Authorities say a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Texas has been arrested on suspicion of having killed four women and abducted a fifth.Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said at a news conference that the agent, Juan David Ortiz, was arrested early Saturday morning.The county's district attorney, Isidro Alaniz, says authorities were led to Ortiz after a woman he tried to kidnap escaped from him. Ortiz fled from state troopers and hid in the parking lot of a Laredo hotel, where he was arrested.Alaniz says authorities are still trying to determine a motive for the killings.</s>HOUSTON (AP) — A U.S. Border Patrol agent suspected of killing four women was arrested early Saturday after a fifth woman who had been abducted managed to escape from him and notify authorities, law enforcement officials said, describing the agent as a “serial killer.”

Juan David Ortiz, 35, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, fled from state troopers and was found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo at around 2 a.m. Saturday, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said at a news conference in the border city about 145 miles (235 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio.

Cuellar said investigators have “very strong evidence” that he is responsible for the deaths of the four women, who are believed to worked as prostitutes.

“We do consider this to be a serial killer,” said Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz.

In a statement, Andrew Meehan, assistant commissioner for public affairs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said his agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General are fully cooperating with all investigators.

“Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims’ family and friends. While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated,” Meehan said.

He referred questions about the investigation to authorities in Webb County and to the Texas Department of Public Safety, whose Texas Rangers are also investigating.

A Texas Department of Public Safety sergeant didn’t return several messages seeking comment on Saturday.

“The manner in which they were killed is similar in all the cases from the evidence,” said Alaniz.

But both Alaniz and Cuellar declined to discuss the evidence or say how the women were killed.

Alaniz said investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the killings. He said all of the women worked as prostitutes.

Cuellar said investigators believe Ortiz acted alone.

Alaniz said his office plans to charge Ortiz with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping.

Authorities planned to provide another update on the investigation on Monday.</s>LAREDO, Texas — A U.S. Border Patrol agent suspected of killing four women was arrested early Saturday after a fifth woman managed to escape from him and notify authorities, law enforcement officials said, describing the agent as a “serial killer.”

Juan David Ortiz, an intelligence supervisor for the Border Patrol, fled from state troopers and was found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo around 2 a.m. Saturday, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said at a news conference in the border city about 145 miles southwest of San Antonio.

Cuellar said investigators have “very strong evidence” that he is responsible for the deaths of the four women, who are believed to have worked as prostitutes.

“We do consider this to be a serial killer,” said Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz.

In a statement, Andrew Meehan, assistant commissioner for public affairs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said his agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General are cooperating with all investigators.

He referred questions about the investigation to authorities in Webb County and to the Texas Department of Public Safety, whose Texas Rangers are also investigating.

A Texas Department of Public Safety sergeant didn’t return several messages seeking comment on Saturday.

“The manner in which they were killed is similar in all the cases from the evidence,” Alaniz said.

But both Alaniz and Cuellar declined to discuss the evidence or say how the women were killed.

Alaniz said investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the killings. Cuellar said investigators believe Ortiz acted alone.

Alaniz said his office plans to charge Ortiz with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping.</s>A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officer was arrested on Saturday and will be charged in the deaths of four women in Texas and the abduction of a fifth. All five women worked as prostitutes.

Juan David Ortiz, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, was arrested overnight on Saturday in a parking lot in Laredo, Texas. He fled police after the fifth woman he abducted escaped and informed authorities about her plight.

Further details were sparse. Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar would not identify the victims, or detail how the suspect allegedly killed them. It’s also not clear exactly when and where the crimes took place.

Cueller did say that authorities have “very strong evidence” to link Ortiz to the crimes, and called him a“serial killer.”</s>Texas police on Saturday arrested a veteran US Border Patrol agent, who is suspected of killing four women within the past two weeks and kidnapping a fifth.

Juan David Ortiz, a 35-year-old who has worked for Border Patrol for a decade, was found hiding in a Laredo parking lot after a woman he allegedly abducted was able to escape and alert law enforcement, local media reports said.

"We feel that our efforts have gathered strong evidence against this killer. Our community is safe from this killer," Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said in a statement, adding that Ortiz would be formally charged later on Saturday.

The four victims' names were not immediately disclosed. According to local media reports in Laredo, 150 miles (240 km) southwest of San Antonio, they had been working as prostitutes.

The bodies of two of the women were discovered earlier this month along Interstate 35 in rural northwest Webb County, the Laredo Morning Times reported, while the third and fourth were found in the same area this weekend.

A senior US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official, Andrew Meehan, said in a statement that the agency was cooperating fully with the investigators.

While it was not agency policy to comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, Meehan said, criminal conduct by CBP employees is not and will not be tolerated.

"Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims' family and friends," Meehan's statement said.</s>Texas (AP): Texas authorities charged a U.S. Border Patrol supervisor with murder following what they called a two-week serial killing spree that left four female sex workers dead and ended when a fifth woman escaped at a gas station and found help.

Juan David Ortiz, 35, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, was charged with four counts of murder as well as aggravated assault and unlawful restraint, Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said in a tweet.

Ortiz was arrested after the fifth woman managed to flee. State troopers found Ortiz hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo at around 2 a.m. Saturday. The border city is about 235 kilometres southwest of San Antonio.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been arrested in the state of Texas on suspicion of killing four women.