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Labor organizer Glendy Marisol González de la Cruz and her husband Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz were found shot dead in a sugarcane field in Guatemala after being reported missing on July 20.
They were murdered just weeks after González de la Cruz self-deported to reunite with her husband, who had been deported following an encounter with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Overland, Missouri, last year. The couple was heading to another town to register a motorcycle when they were reported missing, according to media outlet La Hora.
The couple’s bodies were discovered alongside their 14-month-old daughter, who was found alive, dehydrated and crying beside their murdered parents. According to local Guatemalan media, the child is recovering at an emergency medical center. Guatemala’s National Civil Police, which is investigating the homicides, reported that both Pérez Paz and González de la Cruz had been gagged, bound by their hands and feet, and showed signs of physical trauma.
In April of last year, Pérez Paz was driving his 51-year-old brother, Rolando Pérez Paz, to do roofing work when they were stopped by a group of US immigration agents near their home in the US.
Agents reportedly ambushed the brothers, jumping out of an unmarked vehicle. They forcibly removed the brothers from their work van and shackled them en route to Phelps County Jail before eventually deporting them to Guatemala.
In an interview with St. Louis Public Radio, Rolando said the agents did not present a warrant and arrested them for “entering the country illegally,” informing them they would be deported. He said he and his brother had fled violence and poverty in Guatemala and sought a better life in the US.
“If immigration hadn’t picked up my brother, my sister-in-law would still be alive, and the children wouldn’t be going through this sorrow,” he said.
González de la Cruz stayed in Overland, where she gave birth to their third daughter, Giovanna, in June 2025. Despite having an active asylum case scheduled for 2027, she ultimately decided to self-deport to Guatemala with her daughters, driven by mounting fear of being detained and separated from her children.
She was also an active organizer with Fuerza and the Missouri Workers Center (MWC), both St. Louis-based organizations advocating for immigrant and workers’ rights.
“Glendy came to our Fuerza meetings three weeks after giving birth. She was working two jobs, bringing new members,” MWC said in a statement. “Even in the face of adversity, Glendy continued to organize and support others, showing incredible strength and resilience.”
According to a GoFundMe started by the MWC, the couple’s three children are now cared for by their aunt. “Glendy and Nixon were hardworking parents, deeply committed to their family and community.”
A vigil organized by MWC and Fuerza will be held Sunday, August 2, at 6 p.m. outside Overland City Hall in memory of the murdered couple.
Image Credit: Pérez Paz Family.
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