2010-07-19 Robert Sanchez Nunez
Father Said Missing Infant Died in His Care and Was Placed in Attic Cooler
A bizarre 6-year-old missing person case was solved in July 2010.
An eight month old baby named Miguel Angel Nunez was reported missing in 2004 by his mother. The mother had left her baby with the child's father, Robert Sanchez Nunez, when she was ordered to serve a short sentence at Potter County Detention Center for a misdemeanor charge.[1]
Following her release from the jail, she returned home to find her husband but no child. The husband informed her that the child was with relatives in Mexico but no trace of the infant was found. She reported the missing baby to Amarillo police.
Six years after baby Miguel went missing, Amarillo police released an age progressed photo of Miguel Angel Nunez in hopes of turning up new clues and solving his disappearance. Media outlets circulated the photo and plea for information from the police department.
Then, a short time later, police responded to a call of an ice chest found in an attic with suspicious contents at a home in the 1600-block of Seminole Street.
Inside the ice box in the attic was the body of a young boy. Police discovered that it was the same home that Miguel was living in at the time of his disappearance, and became confident that the deceased child in the icebox was none other but Miguel.
"We believe that the remains were that of Miguel Angel Nunez who was born in 2003 and hasn't been seen since 2004," said Lt. Gary Trupe, with the Special Crimes Unit.
Investigators asked all the local news organizations to hold the story until they could find their prime suspect--Robert Sanchez Nunez.
Police sent the baby's body off for an autopsy and requested that DNA samples be taken in order to confirm his identity.
"I'm hoping we can bring justice to him for Miguel and hold that person responsible for what...disposing of him, putting him up there in that attic, it's, gotta be...it's just terrible."
July 21, 2010 Police interview Robert Sanchez Nunez in Borger, Texas
Amarillo police located Nunez living in Borger, Texas and were able to take him into custody for several outstanding misdemeanor tickets.
on Wednesday, July 21, Special Crimes Unit detectives interviewed Robert Nunez, Miguel's father, in Borger.
After the interview, the Potter County District Attorney's Office filed charges of Aggravated Perjury aganst Robert Sanchez Nunez. The charge stemmed from Nunez's prior testimony in front of a grand jury earlier this year regarding the disappearance of young Miguel.
Nunez was booked into the Potter County jail and his bond set at $100,000.
The official complaint filed against Nunez states that the eight month old baby died in his care and he placed the body into the cooler to put in the attic. There is no statement of the sort that Nunez physically caused the death of Miguel.
December 21, 2010 Jury indicts father on perjury charge, lying about son
A Potter County grand jury indicted Nunez on an aggravated perjury charge. The indictment comes after his eight month old son's body was found in the attic of an former residence oer the summer.
Potter County DA filed the perjury charge against Nunez because he lied to a grand jury on April 21, 2010 when he testified that his son was still alive and living in Mexico.
In July, people living in a rental house in the 1600 block of North Seminole Street found a tightly sealed plastic ice chest in their attic while installing a ceiling fan.
When they started to open the chest, a strong odor prompted them to call police.[2]
Police arrived at the home and opened the icebox, finding Miguel Nunez's body inside Miguel Nunez was about 8 months old when he disappeared in April 2004.
The indictment said Robert Nunez "had himself concealed the body of Miguel Nunez in a container in the attic of the residence in which the defendant was residing at the time of the child's death."