AUSTIN, Texas — The Hays County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) has filed additional charges against a 24-year-old San Antonio man who was arrested in Kyle earlier this month on child trafficking charges.
On July 6, the HCSO said Diego Alejandro Cortez had enticed a 10-year-old girl to leave her residence in San Antonio to travel with him to Kyle. Deputies initially believed the girl was still in San Antonio but later discovered that she traveled back to Kyle with Cortez.
Deputies located a white 2022 Volkswagen leaving the area and a traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle, where Cortez was identified as the driver.
Cortez was discovered to be a registered sex offender from San Antonio and, at the time, was charged with a felony charge of child trafficking to engage in sexual conduct and a misdemeanor charge of harboring a runaway child.
Through follow up interviews after the arrest, the HCSO determined that Cortez had sexual intercourse with the missing juvenile on multiple occasions, as well as other children in and around the San Antonio area.
Investigators also discovered that Cortez frequently met his potential victims online, through the social media outlet Snapchat, and would portray himself as a young teen. He is known to use the Snapchat profile names "Dfordiegs" and "Slowbass4367."
On July 20, the HCSO provided an update on the investigation into Cortez and the additional charges against him.
The HCSO said investigators learned through evidence seized on July 2 that Cortez possessed pictures and videos that depicted child pornography. At this time, investigators have filed an additional 10 charges of possession of child pornography against Cortez, with the possibility of more charges in the future. The 10 charges have a total bond of $100,000.
In addition, on July 3, the HCSO said investigators were able to locate and identify a second juvenile victim, a 13-year-old girl who lives in Cibolo, Texas. On July 17, investigators received a copy of the forensic interview with that victim, during which she disclosed that she and Cortez had multiple sexual encounters. Her statement was corroborated by a confession from Cortez and evidence found on Cortez's phone.
On July 18, Cortez was charged with sex abuse of child continuous: victim under 14, a first-degree felony.
As of July 20, Cortez is booked in the Hays County Jail, charged with the following:
- Harboring a runaway, a Class A misdemeanor
- Traffic child to engage in sexual conduct, a first-degree felony
- 10 counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony
- Sex abuse of child continuous: victim under 14, a first-degree felony
Investigators believe Cortez could have more victims in and around Hays County.
"We want to get you justice," Deputy Anthony Hipolito said, addressing potential victims during a press conference on July 20. "What Mr. Cortez is doing is sick, it's evil and he needs to spend the rest of his life in prison. So that's another big reason we're doing this. We know there's more victims. Please reach out to your parents. Please reach out to your counselors, your teachers, whoever to get the help. I promise you: the Hays county Sheriff's Office will not leave you by yourself."
To hear more from the HCSO regarding this investigation, watch the full press conference below: