12:05 AM CDT on Sunday, April 25, 2010
By Donna Fielder / Staff Writer
Daniela Coronado was 17 years old when she died in her bed with an electrical cord tight around her neck.
Courtesy photo
Daniela Coronado was found dead in her bed on Oct. 24, 2007, in Denton. Pedro Blancas is accused of killing her. His parents say he has died in Mexico.
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She left an 11-month-old baby boy who can’t remember her more than two years later. She left a grieving mother, two sisters and numerous other relatives who can’t forget the way she died and that the man accused of murdering her is free.
Pedro Blancas left the country.
Now Blancas’ parents, who live in Denton, say he has died, and his name has been read on a list of the dead during Mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church the past two weeks. He was buried in Morelita, Mexico, his father told police, adding that he had been too busy to attend the funeral.
Daniela Coronado’s relatives don’t believe it.
“They are pretending he is dead,” said Daniela’s sister Brenda Coronado. “In Mexico, as long as you give money, you can get what you want.”
Pedro Blancas’ parents, Amalia Perez and Pedro Blancas Sr., could not be reached for comment.
Denton police say they are skeptical about Pedro Blancas’ alleged death. They are working with the FBI to try to prove or disprove his father’s story.
Pedro Blancas
“I find it hard to believe they would have these Masses here and yet not go down there for a funeral or bring his body back,” Capt. Lenn Carter said. “Some of his family members lied to us at the time of the murder to give him time to get away. We believe a family member drove him to Mexico.”
Carter said FBI agents will work with Mexican officials to determine the truth.
“If we find he is not dead, we will step up our efforts to find him,” Carter said. “We are not going to stop looking.”
The young couple knew each other in high school, Daniela’s sisters say. Then Blancas went to jail on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity and fleeing police, and he began writing to her. She wrote back. When he was released, they began dating. She became pregnant.
Her sister Sandra Almaguer allowed Daniela to stay with her, and Blancas stayed there often.
“He didn’t act as mean as he was,” said her aunt Sandra Vallejo. “He was very quiet.”
“We treated him with respect because she liked him,” said her mother, Berta Vallejo. “We never saw him be mean to her.”
But they say they saw the results of his temper on Aug. 9, 2007, when Daniela came to a family get-together with bruises on her face and a mark around her neck. The family has a photograph showing the injuries. She broke up with Blancas and notified police.
A witness told police that he saw Blancas sitting on top of Daniela, strangling her with a television cord and screaming that he was going to kill her. The witness struggled with the man, trying to get him off the girl. He literally had to knock Blancas out, according to police, before he could rescue the unconscious woman.
Blancas was charged with misdemeanor family violence, and Daniela obtained a protective order.
But he wanted to see his child, her relatives said, so she dropped the protective order.
She made plans with a friend for the morning of Oct. 24, 2007. The friend was going to pick her up, and she called several times to see if Daniela was ready. No one answered the cellphone. Then Blancas called on her phone. Coronado was in the shower, he said, and he would tell her to call.
But she never did.
Blancas took the baby to his mother’s apartment. She later told police that he was crying but she didn’t know why. She said he left on foot. The family claims to have not seen him again.
Meanwhile, Daniela’s friend grew worried. She drove to the apartment on Eagle Drive. The door was unlocked, and she walked inside. There, in her bed, was Daniela Coronado with a cord around her neck.
Hysterical and crying, the friend began calling relatives. Brenda Coronado was at work. She was so upset that her supervisor was afraid to let her drive, she said. Police picked her up and took her to the apartment.
They all gathered in the parking lot, not sure what had happened. A detective came to talk to them. Daniela was dead, he said.
“Are you sure?” Sandra Vallejo asked.
It was true. Bright, pretty Daniela had been murdered.
In the days that followed, police searched Denton for the fugitive because of information provided by his family. He was not around. They learned that Blancas was angry because he wanted to take his son to Mexico and the child’s mother said no. He also was angry because Daniela had moved on. She was dating other men.
That November, police received tips that Blancas was at a relative’s house in Morelita Guerrero, Mexico. They asked for help from the U.S. Marshals Service, but the marshals could not find him there.
Coronado’s family members don’t know what to believe. They heard rumors that the relatives he was staying with kicked him out. They heard rumors that he was living in Coyuca de Benitez, deep inside Mexico in the state of Guerrero. They heard rumors that he never left North Texas, and one relative swore he saw Blancas driving a green car.
Now, Blancas supposedly is dead. No, members of Daniela’s family say — that is a ruse to make police stop looking for him.
They want proof. They want the grave — if there is a grave — dug up and DNA samples taken.
Coronado’s sisters attended the two services in Denton where Blancas’ name was read on a list of the dead. They plan to attend a service today and expect to hear a final reading.
That isn’t fair, they say. He is a criminal whose name should not be read in church. They want to attend a trial. They want Blancas to pay for his crime.
They want justice for Daniela.
Anyone with information about the crime or Blancas’ whereabouts should call Denton police. Or call Denton County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-388-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Tipsters will remain anonymous.
DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com.
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