Update: According to a trusted source, Cssandra Pavon was located. No other information is available.
By Roger Lanse
On Tuesday, Apr. 2, 2024, at about 12:14 p.m., Silver City Police Department officers responded to the Lintero Apartments, 2711 Leslie Road, in reference to a kidnapping complaint. The caller stated a male pointed a gun at a female and both left the Lintero apartment parking lot in a silver Chrysler 300. The caller identified the two as David Castillo and Cassandra Pavon.
According to an SCPD incident report, one witness stated she heard yelling and screaming in the parking lot and when she walked out she saw Castillo, 30, of Santa Clara, holding Pavon, 34, of Silver City, in a headlock with his left arm and holding a black pistol in his right hand. Castillo pointed the pistol at the witness from 6-8 feet away and told her to "mind your own business."
Another witness said he was inside his apartment and could hear yelling and screaming from outside. He also reported seeing Castillo holding Pavon in a headlock with his left arm and holding a black pistol in his right hand. This witness said he observed Pavon being hit by Castillo with his right hand multiple times. Pavon was made to enter the Chrysler 300 by Castillo, this witness said, and he also saw Castillo point the weapon at the first witness. Pavon was seen attempting to exit the vehicle as it stopped briefly near the dumpster but was not able to do so. The vehicle then left toward Leslie Road.
A third witness, the caller, told officers, the report stated, she also heard yelling and screaming outside, and when she looked out her glass door saw Castillo and Pavon arguing and saw Pavon strike Castillo once, then they scuffled and Castillo got Pavon in a headlock with his left arm. Castillo then reached to his lower back, this witness said, and pulled out a black handgun and had it pointed to the back of Pavon's head. While on the phone with the Grant County Regional Dispatch Authority, caller observed Castillo drag Pavon in the headlock and made her get into the vehicle.
SCPD officers provided all the information the witnesses provided to GCRDA and an Attempt to Locate (ATL) went out to all SCPD officers and to surrounding agencies.
A while later, SCPD officers spotted the Chrysler on 32nd Street Bypass with Castillo and Pavon inside and attempted a traffic stop. However, due to safety concerns did not pursue it at high speed but did record the license plate number. It wasn't long, according to the report, before a New Mexico State Police officer made contact with Castillo at an address in Santa Clara and placed him in investigative detention.
SCPD officers arrived at the address, shortly, and arrested Castillo, who refused to disclose the whereabouts of Pavon. SCPD investigators attempted to find Pavon by pinging her phone through GCRDA, calling all likely phone numbers and checking locations of Pavon's family. It is unknown at the time of this report the location of Cassandra Pavon.
Castillo was booked into the Grant County Detention Center and charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a household member, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. false imprisonment, aggravated fleeing from a police officer, battery against a household member, and driving with a revoked license.
According to GCDC staff, Castillo remains in custody as of April 8, 2024