'Mexican Jeffrey Dahmer': Suspected 'serial killer' accused of rape, murder as police found skulls in his home
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Are you or someone you know a recent survivor of sexual assault? Help is available. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) provides a 24/7 national sexual assault hotline, which can be reached at 1-800-656-4673.
The blood-stained curtains fluttering in the breeze are the first indication of the evil Miguel Cortez is accused of.
The 39-year-old pharmaceutical chemist is now called by some as the "Mexican Jeffrey Dahmer."
The sister of one of his alleged victims calls him something else.
"He’s a monster, he’s a monster," says Santa Ana resident Angela Calles.
She is currently in Mexico City because her niece, 17-year-old Maria Jose Castillo, was raped and murdered, and her mother is fighting for her life.
Calles says her sister had been running errands on April 16, 2024 when Cortez allegedly attacked her daughter.
"She found this guy in my niece’s room, and she was already dead. He attacked my sister too. She has a stab wound on her leg, neck, left lung, and pelvic area," Calles said.
Cortez tried to flee, but neighbors held him down until police arrived. When investigators checked his apartment, they made a gruesome discovery: human remains and seven human craniums.
"They found out he was a serial killer," Calles said.
Mexico City Prosecutor Ulises Lara says he has seven homicide cases against Cortez, but several mothers of missing daughters suspect that number is much higher.
They are angry with authorities for not investigating their missing daughter’s cases.
"I just ask the fiscal [prosecutor] in Mexico City that they put this monster in jail and he never let him out and also justice for all the other victims and the other families too," Calles said.
The family in Santa Ana has established a GoFundMe account called Justice for Maria Jose. The goal is to help pay for the medical expenses of the surviving victim and for transportation.
Calles has to keep going back and forth from Santa Ana to Mexico City to be with her sister, who is still in the ICU. Plus, Calles herself is also battling stage 4 Cancer.