By ESENDOM
September 25, 2025
Lea en español: Tragedia en Pensilvania: familia dominicana asesinada y familiares piden ayuda para repatriar cuerpos
🔹 Geraldina Peguero-Mancebo (30), her one-year-old son Jeyden Junior, and her partner Junior Cabrera-Colón (31) were murdered in Reading, Pennsylvania.
🔹 Cabrera’s body was found first, on September 13; a week later Geraldina and her baby were discovered in a swamp.
🔹 Authorities arrested José Luis Rodríguez (61), who confessed to killing Cabrera; they are investigating whether he is also responsible for the other homicides.
🔹 Three children were left orphaned after the tragedy; relatives are appealing to the Dominican community to help repatriate the bodies to the Dominican Republic.
Chain of deaths that has shaken Reading
What began as a missing persons report turned into one of the most devastating tragedies for the Dominican community in Pennsylvania. Geraldina Peguero-Mancebo and her one-year-old baby were found dead in a wetland, several days after authorities discovered the murder of Junior Cabrera-Colón, Geraldina’s partner and the child’s father.
According to reports, on September 13 Cabrera was found with a gunshot wound to the head in a wooded area near River Road in Reading. From that same date, Geraldina and little Jeyden were reported missing. The discovery of their remains six days later confirmed the worst: they had also been victims of homicide.
Suspected perpetrator in custody
The case took a turn on September 18, when state police arrested 61-year-old Reading resident José Luis Rodríguez. According to authorities, Rodríguez admitted to killing Cabrera-Colón and leaving his body where it was found.
Investigators are now working to determine whether Rodríguez was directly involved in the deaths of Geraldina and her son. In the meantime, the local community and the Dominican diaspora have expressed outrage and grief over the events.
A family destroyed
The tragedy leaves three minors orphaned. The victims’ relatives have requested immediate assistance to cover the costs of repatriating the remains to the Dominican Republic, where they hope to lay them to rest.
The Dominican community in Reading and in various U.S. cities has begun organizing fundraisers and solidarity campaigns for the surviving children and to facilitate the transfer of the bodies to their country of origin.
Dominican context
The incident has had a major impact in the Dominican Republic, where similar tragedies have exposed the vulnerability of migrant families. This situation highlights the double burden many Dominicans abroad face: seeking better opportunities while being exposed to environments of violence and neglect.
For the relatives of Geraldina, Junior, and little Jeyden, grief is compounded by the urgent need to secure financial and diplomatic support. The Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet reported any official assistance measures, but the diaspora insists the state must stand with these families in such painful times.