The morning of March 10, 2000, began as any other for Kevin McElroy. At 8:30 a.m., he arrived at the plastics factory he owned in Troup, Texas, a community of two-thousand people, one-hundred-twenty miles southeast of Dallas. Within the hour, however, his day, and his life, was turned upside down.

At 9:20 a.m., Kevin received a phone call from a woman saying his eighteen-year-old son Kyle had been kidnapped. Kyle, the night shift supervisor at the McElroy Plastics Factory, was last seen leaving work in early morning hours.

The female caller demanded a ransom. Kevin at first thought the call was a cruel joke, but it soon became clear it was no hoax and that his son was in grave danger.

Instead of another day at the office, Kevin McElroy was forced to embark on a desperate quest to save his son’s life.

Kyle McElroy

The woman who called the factory identified herself as “Sara.” She told Kevin, “We have your son . . . Do not call the police. We are watching you.” Kevin then heard a voice say in a frightening tone, “Dad, do what they say. They mean it, or they’re going to kill me.” Kevin recognized his son’s voice, but believed it was a recording.

Despite the warning, Kevin contacted the police. For the remainder of the day, they were thrust into a movie-like scenario, directed to various locations where they found notes instructing them to different venues.

Finally, Kevin was directed to his son’s truck. Kyle’s Chevy Silverado was found abandoned along Texas Highway 110, five miles south of Troup. The vehicle had a flat tire and the right passenger window was shattered. Inside, Kevin found a handwritten note reading, “You have seven hours to come up with $200,000. Do not call the police, or we will kill your son. We will call you later at the plant.”

Kevin McElroy

Kyle’s Father

At 6:30 p.m., Kevin, as instructed, returned to his office to await for a phone call. The woman soon phoned and asked for the money. Kevin told her he only had half of it and asked to speak to his son. The woman said Kyle was fine but refused to put him on the phone and hung up.

Several minutes later, the woman phoned again, this time ordering Kevin to a phone booth near the La Azteca Café, a small Mexican restaurant and store along the juncture of United State Highway 79 and Texas Highway 110.  When Kevin arrived, he found another handwritten note next to a trash can. This time, he was ordered to deliver the ransom money to a laundromat a half mile away and then return to his office. Again, Kevin did as instructed.

After returning to his office Kevin received a final phone call, at 8:00 p.m., this time from a man, telling him where Kyle was located. The call was traced to one of Kevin’s employees at his plastics factory whom had knew as Victor Feredes, but his real name was David Rios. After being arrested, he was found to be an illegal immigrant.

David Rios

The FBI set up surveillance around the laundromat. In the early morning hours of March 11, two men were arrested as they attempted to pick up the money. They were identified as Alfredo Romero and Ernesto Bailon. Like David Rios, both men were in the country unlawfully.

                          Alfredo Romero                         Ernesto Bailon

Under questioning, the culprits told the police where they had been holding Kyle captive. At an abandoned farm in rural New Summerfield, roughly ten miles south of Troup, the agents found the teen’s body bound in duct tape. The Medical Examiner determined he had been choked to death.

The macabre scavenger hunt had been a wild good chase. The kidnappers had probably intended to kill Kyle from the onset, likely doing so before the first ransom call was made. As Kevin suspected, it was a recording of his son’s voice played during the initial phone call.

Kyle Was Killed

Before Kevin Was Called

The three illegals were convicted for their roles in Kyle McElroy’s kidnapping and murder. Romero was sentenced to thirty years in prison, Bailon received fifty years, and Rios was put away for life.

Kidnappers Sentenced

The kidnappers identified “Sara” as thirty-one-year-old Desiree Lingo-Perkins, a prostitute known to frequent migrant camps.

For four years, authorities were unable to locate her.

“Sara’s” Real Identity Is Desiree Lingo-Perkins

In 2004, police received information placing Perkins in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, a coastal city along the Rio Grande, in the state of Tamaulipas.

On October 7, Nuevo Laredo police on routine patrol noticed a woman riding on a bicycle. She aroused their suspicion by attempting to lose their trail by weaving in and out of traffic, but police were able to catch her after she nearly caused an accident. The woman was identified as Perkins. She had been living in the area under the alias Alejandra Gutierrez.

Perkins was returned to the United States. She pled guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Perkins Is Captured

Desiree Lingo-Perkins is incarcerated at the Carol Young Complex in Dickinson, Texas. She will be eligible for parole in 2044 when she is seventy-five-years-old. She appears to have graduated high school while imprisoned, and I found an advertisement from her on a website seeking a pen pal.

Making The Most

Of Life Behind Bars

Shortly before Kyle McElroy was kidnapped, his father had sold Heffner Plastics, a branch of his business. The sizeable sum of money he received in the sale is believed to have been the killers’ motivation in their failed extortion attempt.

The Sale Was Likely The Impetus For The Crime

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9592165

 

SOURCES:

• Amarillo Globe-News
• El Paso Times
• Jacksonville Progress
• JUSTIA US Law
• KLTV News East Texas
• My Plainview
• Tyler Morning telegraph
• Unsolved Mysteries

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9592165