KYLE, Texas – A registered sex offender in San Antonio who was arrested early this month in Kyle for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with a 10-year-old girl is facing more charges after investigators identified a second victim and found he was in possession of child pornography, Hays County investigators said Thursday.
Diego Alejandro Cortez, 24, is now charged with continuous sex abuse of a child, a first-degree felony and 10 counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony. Those charges are in addition to the original charges of child trafficking to engage in sexual conduct and harboring a runaway child. Cortez is being held in the Hays County Jail with bonds totaling $400,000.
A day after Cortez’s arrest in Kyle, investigators identified a second victim — a 13-year-old girl who lives in Cibolo. The girl told investigators that she and Cortez had multiple sexual encounters. Investigators found evidence on Cortez’s phone, and received a confession from Cortez, according to the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
In the Kyle incident, investigators said Cortez used Snapchat to lure a 10-year-old girl from her home.
The victim’s parents reported her missing at 3:30 a.m. on July 2. After she returned home about an hour later, deputies pulled Cortez over in his White 2022 Volkswagen as he was leaving the area.
Cortez portrayed himself as a young teen to gain the girls’ trust, HCSO officials said.
Through follow-up interviews, investigators learned that Cortez had sexual intercourse with the young girl as well as other children in and around the San Antonio area in recent months.
Hays County investigators believe there could be even more victims.
Online records show Cortez just registered as a sex offender in May. He was previously arrested for sexual assault of a child in Abilene in December of 2021. His current address is listed in the Kinder Ranch neighborhood on San Antonio’s far North Side.
Cortez was known by the Snapchat profile names of Dfordiegs and Slowbass4367.
Parents are asked to contact Sergeant Mark Opiela with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office by phone at 512-393-7896 or by email [email protected] if they believe their child may have been a victim.
People can also submit tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800- 324-TIPS or through the Tip Line app P3tips.com or the Hays County Sheriff’s Office App.
Sheriff Gary Cutler urged parents to monitor their children’s social media use and to have conversations about internet safety and said parents can find additional resources through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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