Austin police say a 26-year-old man arrested in Dallas has confessed to two brutal murders of women in Central Texas and may be connected to even more violent attacks, raising fears that investigators could be dealing with a serial killer who operated undetected for years across multiple parts of the state.

During a tense press briefing Tuesday, the Austin Police Department revealed chilling new details about the arrest of Luis Fernando Benitez Gonzalez, a Mexican national accused in the killings of two women whose deaths had remained unsolved for years.

Authorities allege Gonzalez murdered 34-year-old Alyssa Ann Rivera in Austin in 2024 and 28-year-old Alba Jenisse Aviles in Bastrop County in 2018. Investigators now believe the two cases are linked through DNA evidence, similar attack patterns and Gonzalez’s own admissions during questioning.

Officials also revealed that Gonzalez allegedly confessed to two aggravated assaults against women in late 2025 — attacks police say may have ultimately helped detectives identify and capture him after years of uncertainty.

Austin homicide detectives now warn that the suspect’s history and alleged pattern of violence strongly suggest there may be additional victims still undiscovered.

“We believe there is a strong possibility we are dealing with a serial offender,” Austin Police Homicide Detective Chris Anderson said during the briefing.

According to authorities, Gonzalez was arrested April 27 in Dallas after an extensive manhunt involving the Austin Police Department, the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and multiple local law enforcement agencies.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Brandon Filla said investigators had been tracking Gonzalez for months after new evidence emerged from two aggravated assault cases involving female victims in November and December 2025.

Those women survived their encounters with Gonzalez — and police say their actions may have prevented additional killings.

One victim reportedly fought back during the assault and managed to take Gonzalez’s cellphone before escaping. She later turned the device over to investigators.

Authorities said data recovered from the phone included photographs, location information and other evidence that connected Gonzalez to the Dale area in Bastrop County, where one of the murders occurred years earlier.

DNA collected during those assault investigations also allegedly matched DNA evidence already linking the killings of Rivera and Aviles.

“That evidence changed everything,” Anderson said.

Police say investigators began to realize they were likely dealing with a suspect who had been attacking women over a long period of time.

Authorities described Gonzalez as transient, moving frequently between Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Hidalgo County, Lockhart and rural areas surrounding Bastrop County.

Investigators also confirmed Gonzalez had previously been voluntarily deported to Mexico in 2020 before later returning to Texas.

Officials have not publicly clarified exactly when or how he re-entered the United States.

The arrest itself unfolded rapidly after investigators located Gonzalez at an apartment complex in Dallas.

Authorities said surveillance teams observed Gonzalez on April 27 walking around the Cornerstone Apartments before getting into a blue pickup truck. Detectives followed the truck until Dallas police conducted a traffic stop along Harry Hines Boulevard.

During the stop, Gonzalez allegedly provided officers with a false identity before ICE agents positively identified him.

He was then transported to the Dallas County Jail.

According to investigators, Gonzalez later confessed during questioning to both murders as well as the two aggravated assault cases involving surviving victims.

Police say the revelations brought long-awaited answers in two homicide investigations separated by six years.

The first case dates back to April 14, 2018, when Bastrop County authorities discovered the body of 28-year-old Alba Jenisse Aviles along Old San Antonio Road.

Investigators determined she had been strangled with a seatbelt and possibly sexually assaulted before being left dead near the roadside.

At the time, detectives struggled to identify a suspect.

Then, on June 21, 2024, Austin police responded to a vacant home on Metcalfe Road in Southeast Austin after someone discovered the body of 34-year-old Alyssa Ann Rivera.

Rivera had been beaten and strangled, according to investigators.

Surveillance footage later captured a short Hispanic male walking alongside Rivera within 24 hours of her death, but detectives initially could not identify the individual.

The breakthrough came when forensic specialists entered DNA from both murder scenes into national databases and discovered the same unknown profile linked the two crimes.

Even then, investigators still did not know the identity of the suspect.

It would take nearly two more years — and the survival of two additional victims — before police finally identified Gonzalez.

Authorities say the similarities between the murders are deeply concerning.

Both women were found in relatively isolated areas in Central Texas. Both appeared to have been targeted while vulnerable. Both cases involved evidence of possible sexual assault. And both women had last been seen in areas connected to Southeast Austin nightlife.

Police revealed Tuesday that Aviles had reportedly left Club Caribe After Party in Southeast Austin shortly before her death in 2018. That nightclub was located only a few miles from where Rivera’s body was discovered six years later.

Investigators now believe those similarities may point to a broader pattern of predatory behavior.

Anderson said experienced homicide investigators rarely believe offenders who commit violent crimes like strangulation murders simply stop for years at a time.

“People who commit crimes of this nature usually don’t just take a six-year break,” he said.

That statement has intensified concerns that Gonzalez may be tied to other unsolved attacks or killings involving women across Texas.

Authorities confirmed detectives are now reviewing cold case files throughout the greater Austin region and comparing evidence for possible links.

Investigators are specifically examining cases involving assaults, disappearances and murders of women where the circumstances resemble the Rivera and Aviles killings.

Police are urging anyone who may have encountered Gonzalez or who has information about suspicious attacks involving women to contact authorities immediately.

Meanwhile, loved ones of the victims say the arrest brings a mixture of grief and relief after years without answers.

Friends of Alyssa Rivera described her as caring and compassionate, someone who loved deeply despite personal struggles.

Family members of Alba Jenisse Aviles said her death devastated those closest to her and left lingering questions that haunted them for years.

During Tuesday’s emotional press conference, Anderson directly addressed the victims’ families.

“We haven’t forgotten about you,” he said. “We won’t forget about you.”

Deputy Marshal Filla also praised the bravery of the surviving assault victims who fought back during their attacks.

Without their resistance and willingness to cooperate with police, investigators said Gonzalez might never have been identified.

“These women showed extraordinary courage,” one official said.

Gonzalez remains in custody as prosecutors prepare formal charges connected to the murders and assaults.

Authorities have not yet indicated whether additional charges could follow as detectives continue reviewing evidence from unsolved cases.

For many in Central Texas, the investigation has become a chilling reminder of how dangerous offenders can sometimes evade detection for years while moving between communities and targeting vulnerable victims.

And while police say the arrest marks a major breakthrough, investigators acknowledge the possibility that the full scope of Gonzalez’s alleged crimes may still be unknown.

“This investigation is far from over,” Anderson warned.

As detectives continue digging through years of evidence, families across Texas are now left wondering whether additional cold cases could soon be tied to a suspect authorities increasingly believe may have been operating as a serial predator hiding in plain sight.