Deported Guatemalan Couple Killed After Return

Who were Nixon Pérez Paz and Glendy González?

Nixon Pérez Paz, 43, and Glendy González de la Cruz, 25, were a Guatemalan couple who left their home country in 2019 seeking escape from poverty and violence. Nixon crossed into the US irregularly through Mexico first; Glendy followed months later with their daughter Marisol. They settled in Overland, Missouri — a quiet city of about 15,000 people — where Nixon worked as a roofer and Glendy took shifts at fruit-packing and bottling plants. They had a second daughter in the US, and in March 2021 Nixon's brother Rolando joined the family.

How did the deportation happen?

On April 15, 2025, ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle surrounded Nixon and Rolando as they were starting their workday. The agents handcuffed both men, placed chains on their ankles, and transferred them first to a detention center and then to Phelps County Jail. ICE confirmed the arrest, stating that Nixon had an irregular immigration status and a criminal record. Nixon was deported to Guatemala in May 2025.

Why did Glendy return — and what happened?

About a month before the tragedy, Glendy decided to leave the US and return to Guatemala with the couple's three daughters to reunite with Nixon. On July 21, 2025, both their bodies were found in a sugarcane field in southern Guatemala, killed by gunshot wounds. Their 14-month-old daughter Giovanni was found alive next to them, but severely dehydrated.

What does this mean for immigrant communities?

A friend of the couple, Liliana, told BBC News Mundo: "This is how many of us immigrants in the United States fear ending up. We live with the fear of being detained and separated from our husbands, our children, or of being returned to the dangerous country we fled." The case highlights the deadly risks faced by deportees returned to regions with high levels of gang and cartel violence.