The Murder of Ana Ceja
For this case, I watched an episode of Killer Instinct with Chris Hansen. It’s season 2 episode 4, titled ‘A Kid to Kill For.’
A young mother and her 2-month-old son disappear.
Background
Ana Ceja, also known as Ana Diaz De Ceja, was only 26-years-old when she disappeared, along with her 2-month-old son, Anthony.
Ana lived with her husband, Luis, and their two sons, Luis Jr., and Anthony, in the small town of Planada, California. Ana and Luis were described as having a happy marriage. They both worked on a farm, until Anthony was born, and Ana became a stay at home mom.
Ana was described as an attentive and caring mother, and great wife.
Ana and Anthony Ceja
The Disappearance
On Thursday, December 2, 2010, Luis said he woke up for work. Ana and Anthony had a check up appointment at the clinic. Ana prepared enough formula that she needed for the day, and left out a steak to defrost. She left the house around 7:45am, and was never seen again.
Around 3:30pm, Luis received a call from Luis Jr.’s school. A teacher had found him waiting for his ride. Luis contacted Ana’s mother to pick Luis Jr. up, as he was still at work.
By 6pm, Luis returned home from work. There was no sign of Ana or Anthony. He contacted the Merced County Sheriff’s Department to report them missing.
The First Suspect
Detective Mike Ruiz, who was fluent in Spanish, went to the Ceja home to speak to Luis.
Luis said he was at work when he received the call about Luis Jr. He then said that Ana and Anthony never came home. The baby bag was left, as was the baby formula.
The police contacted the health clinic, and discovered that Ana and Anthony never showed up for their appointment.
Luis was interviewed for about an hour. Detective Ruiz said that Luis didn’t show any emotion, which was odd because his wife and child were missing. There wasn’t any evidence that Luis was involved, or had even left work.
A Shocking Discovery
The police received a phone call from Snelling, California, about 20 miles from Planada. Some farmers were working when they saw smoke coming from a nearby almond orchard. When they walked over to investigate, they found a body burnt beyond recognition.
Detective Chuck Hale, with the Merced County Sheriff’s Department, responded to the scene. The police found tire impressions leading away from the body, and back to the road.
The police believed the body could be Ana’s. They searched the area for several hours, but there was no sign of Anthony.
The almond orchard was in very close to proximity to where Luis had been working. Luis took a polygraph. It showed deception, but the police still didn’t have any evidence that he was involved.
There were rumors that Luis or Ana could’ve had an affair, and that the disappearances could have been cartel or gang related. Merced County was described as the #1 county in the state for homicides. The homicides were mostly gang related. However, the rumors were just rumors, and there was nothing to ever suggest that they were true.
Tracking A Killer
Just 36 hours after Ana and Anthony disappeared, the police made more shocking discoveries.
On a desolate road near Planada, the police received a call about Ana’s abandoned blue Chevy. The car was locked, and again, there was no sign of Anthony. A jogger also discovered a carseat in the water at Bear Creek.
The police used the carseat as a prop to see if Luis had any involvement. Luis broke down when he saw the carseat, believing it to be Anthony’s.
The California Highway Patrol also contacted the police. They too made a discovery. A completely burnt Crown Victoria vehicle was found in a field north of Planada. The same type of vehicle had been reported stolen from a woman named Teresa Robles. Teresa lived with her husband, Jose, and three children.
Before the police could go and speak to Teresa and Jose, they learned that the burnt body in the orchard was Ana Ceja. Ana had been strangled, and then set on fire.
The police also learned that baby Anthony was found. He had been found on December 7, in a tiny neighborhood outside of Planada. Anthony was left naked, wrapped in a pillowcase, outside a woman’s home. Anthony nearly died from exposure, but survived. Luis was unable to see his son, as he was still a suspect.
An Evil Plot
The police went back to search the Crown Victoria. The police were able to find a piece of the tires that hadn’t been burned. The tire matched the tire impressions found at the orchard.
The police learned that Teresa, who was also known as Maria Ceja, had been in the park trying to solicit someone to kidnap a baby and “hit a woman.” This incident happened just a few weeks before Ana and Anthony disappeared.
The police did some research on Teresa and her husband, Jose. They learned that Teresa had suffered a miscarriage. Armed with a photo of Teresa, the police went to the health care center. They recognized her, and said that she was on welfare.
On December 2, Teresa and Jose had gone to Walmart to purchase supplies for a baby. Luis was officially cleared as a suspect.
The Confession
Teresa and Jose were arrested and charged with murder and kidnapping.
The police searched the couple’s home. Inside, they found a photo from an ultrasound. The photo was from one of Teresa’s previous pregnancies, but she had been using it to tell people, including her other kids, that they were going to have a baby boy. Teresa even put pillows in her shirts to fool people.
Jose was questioned, and said it was all Teresa’s idea. Teresa blamed Jose, and said that they didn't plan to kill Ana. Teresa said that Jose really wanted a son, so she came up with a plan when she met Ana.
The episode said that Teresa met Ana at the clinic, but some reports say they met at the elementary school. It was only the day before Ana disappeared, on December 1. Teresa had asked to hold Anthony, and told Ana that she made scarves. Teresa invited Ana over to her home, and Ana agreed.
Ana was last seen on December 2, when she left her home with Anthony, to go to Teresa’s home. While they were there, Jose came in, and strangled Ana. The last thing Ana had seen was Teresa holding her son.
Teresa and Jose then burned Ana’s body, as well as their own vehicle. They took Anthony to a random woman’s house, and left him outside alone and exposed.
The Convictions
Teresa and Jose’s trial began in May 2013. Teresa showed no emotion, and had even laughed during the trial.
In June 2013, Teresa was convicted of first degree murder, and Jose, of second degree murder. They were both also convicted of kidnapping and child abuse.
Teresa was sentenced to life without parole. Jose was sentenced to 27 years to life.
Teresa Robles
Jose Velarde
The Ceja family reuniting with Anthony
FINAL THOUGHTS
Teresa is obviously unwell, but is also very evil. Teresa and Jose thought they could fool everyone. However, their plans changed when the search for Ana and Anthony was larger than they expected. They panicked, and decided to try to throw the police off their tracks. Luckily, they weren’t very smart, and they led the police right to them.
I’m so glad that Anthony survived. But, Ana’s husband and kids are now left without their mom. Hopefully Teresa and Jose will never be released. I have no doubt that they would do this again.
The different names are confusing, but there is no reason to believe that these two women or families were related. The timeline is also a bit confusing, as there weren’t any a lot of dates attached to when everything was found.
Sources
https://abc30.com/archive/9207749/
https://abc7.com/archive/9092377/
https://casetext.com/case/people-v-ceja-20
https://abcnews.go.com/US/california-infant-reunited-family-murder-kidnapping-plot/story?id=12425907
