By Staff
CASSOPOLIS – According to a joint statement Thursday by the Cass County Sheriff's and Prosecutor's Offices, warrants have been issued for one subject and another subject has been arrested in the investigation of the homicide that occurred at 52455 Glenwood Road in Wayne Township on Sept. 5, 2008.
The body of the victim, Miguel Calixto, 35, of Baroda, was found in a soybean field on 76th Avenue, just east of Terminal Road in Van Buren County on Oct. 12, 2008.
Investigation by Cass County and Van Buren County detectives uncovered information that the victim was shot multiple times by Lazaro Lopez Perales, 34, of Arcadia, Fla.
The shooting occurred at the seasonal worker camp on Glenwood Road in Wayne Township.
An arrest warrant for open murder and felony firearm has been issued by the Cass County Prosecutor's Office for Perales, whose current location is unknown at this time.
An arrest warrant for accessory after the fact to a felony was issued for Sotero Perales (the brother of the suspect), 45, also of Arcadia, Fla.
Perales was arrested in Arcadia on Nov. 22 by detectives from the DeSoto County, Fla., Sheriff's Department and extradited back to Cass County on Dec. 9.
An arraignment was held on Dec. 10 and his bond was set at $50,000.
A preliminary hearing for Lopez was held Thursday.
He was bound over to Circuit Court with arraignment set for Jan. 5, 2009.
Besides the warrant for murder that is outstanding on Lazaro Lopez Perales through Cass County, the U.S. District Attorney's Office has issued a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution against the subject through the St. Joseph FBI office.
Anyone with information on the location of Lazaro Lopez Perales can receive up to $1,000 from the FBI for any information that leads to his arrest.
Anyone with information pertaining to this case is asked to contact the Cass County Sheriff's Office at (269) 445-1560 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-342-7867.
This investigation is continuing with assistance from the Michigan State Police and the following agencies in Florida: DeSoto County Sheriff's Department, Hardee County Sheriff's Department, Arcadia Police Department and Broward County Sheriff's Department.