Missing 6-Year-Old Boy's Mother And Aunt Booked On Murder Charges

A California mom and her twin sister are behind bars and facing murder charges in the disappearance of a 6-year-old boy who was last seen alive weeks ago.

Deputies from the Apple Valley Police Department were called by a concerned family member Thursday to request a welfare check on the boy, Duke Flores, according to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department. When the deputies arrived at the child’s home, his mother Jakee Contreras told authorities she hadn’t seen her son in approximately two weeks. She was arrested and taken into custody for “her delay in reporting him missing” and authorities began to search the area, according to a statement from the sheriff’s department.

The search continued the following day with the help of K9 units, the Specialized Investigations Division and homicide investigators who gathered evidence at the scene and conducted interviews with family.

Contreras was questioned again on Saturday and was booked for murder following that discussion with authorities, though the sheriff’s office has not released any additional details about a possible motive or cause of death in the case. Her twin sister, Jennifer Contreras, was also arrested and charged with murder the same day.

Investigators continue to search for Flores.

Duke Flores Photo: San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department

The arrests came just one day after the family held a vigil for the missing boy. His godfather, Juan Contreras, told local station KTLA at the time that he didn’t believe Jakee Contreras could have hurt her child.

“That’s her pride and joy,” he said.

The family said that Flores, who has autism, has wandered away in the past and urged the public for help in finding him.

Jakee Contreras is being held at the West Valley Detention Center, while her sibling is being held at the High Desert Detention Center.