Missing-mom suspect to be returned to Nevada

A man suspected in the disappearance of a Carson City mother will be brought back to Nevada on traffic warrants once a case against him in Utah is resolved, Sheriff Ken Furlong said Monday.

Israel "Juan Carlos" Tellez, is being held in the Salt Lake City Jail on charges he allegedly pulled a weapon on officers who approached him to ask what he knew about the disappearance of Bertha Anguiano. Investigators believe Tellez and the married mother of three were romantically involved.

Anguiano, 33, was last seen Nov. 10 talking in the parking lot of Empire Elementary School with a man matching Tellez's description.

Some 90 minutes later, Anguiano's 3-year-old son was found injured in the parking lot of a Dayton grocery store, about 15 miles from his home.

He told police he'd been hit by a man named "Juan," and that his mother was dead.

On Nov. 22, Tellez allegedly pulled a weapon on deputies who stopped him for questioning outside an apartment complex in Salt Lake City. He is being held without bail in the Salt Lake jail on suspicion of felony aggravated assault. A hearing is set for Jan. 6.

Furlong said that once the Utah case is cleared up, Tellez will be brought back to Nevada by sheriff's deputies on traffic warrants issued by the Nevada Highway Patrol.

In the Anguiano case, Furlong said, there isn't enough evidence at this point to prove a crime has been committed or that Tellez is responsible.

However, searchers have combed the desert between Carson City and Fallon numerous times since Anguiano has been missing, he said.

"We have to continue searching for her whether the belief is she's alive or the belief is she's dead," he said. "I'm not ready to call her dead."

Forensic testing on blood found in both Tellez truck and on the child's clothing could possibly belong to Anguiano, according to court documents.

Furlong said the possibility of trying a case against Tellez without Anguiano's body was unlikely.

"We've been in close contact with the District Attorney's Office and have discussed every details of the case with them," he said. "They are very concerned and their concerns are doing nothing but enabling us to build a stronger and stronger case."

Contact F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.