Mother Arrested In Denver, Accused Of Killing 7-Year-Old Son

DENVER, CO — A mother from San Jose was arrested Tuesday in Denver after her 7-year-old son was found dead in Nevada, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said.

Samantha Moreno Rodriguez, 35, was arrested by the Denver Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, which is led by the FBI.

"She will be booked into an area jail pending extradition," Las Vegas police said in a tweet.

Her son, Liam Huston, was found dead May 28 at a trailhead in Mountain Springs west of Las Vegas, police said. Until his body was identified, detectives called him John "Little Zion" Doe.

Investigators believe Moreno Rodriguez placed her son's body at the trailhead after he was killed in Mountain Springs, police said.

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Liam's father returned to his San Jose home May 24 and found his son and girlfriend, Moreno Rodriguez, missing, police said. The father also found a note that read, in part, "I'm sorry I had to do it like this," investigators said.

The father wasn't sure what to do, but contacted San Jose police to document that she had left. Officers found nothing suspicious about the note and there was no evidence of long term abuse, investigators said.

When Liam was found dead, police issued a drawing of the boy, which was recognized by a friend of Moreno Rodriguez. Investigators then retrieved a pillow from the child's bedroom and matched his DNA, police said.

Investigators believe the boy was still alive May 27, and was killed in Mountain Springs. His body was found the next day.

Moreno Rodriguez was driving a Dodge Caliber, which was seen May 29 near Grand Junction, according to the report. She then checked into a hotel in Denver's metro area May 31, investigators said.

She was found with a man in Denver, but investigators said they believe the man wasn’t involved in Liam’s death.

Investigators will not release the cause of the boy’s death until the coroner has issued its report. A motive was not yet known.