Woman Who Murdered Her Boyfriend's Kids And Left Them in Concrete and a Suitcase Learns Fate By Christina Coulter

A Colorado woman has been found guilty of murdering two young children and hiding their remains in Pueblo, Colo., more than five years after they were last seen in 2018.

Corena Minjarez, 39, was convicted on Aug. 27 of two counts of first-degree murder of a victim under 12 by a person in a position of trust and two counts of abuse of a corpse, per reporting by KKTV, KOAA and The Pueblo Chieftan.

Prosecutors said Minjarez killed her boyfriend’s children, Yesenia Dominguez and Jesus Dominguez Jr. — who would have been three and five years old, respectively, when they were last seen in 2018 — and helped conceal their bodies, per the outlets.

Minjarez was sentenced the same day to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder charges and 120 days for the abuse-of-corpse counts, with all sentences to run concurrently, according to KKTV.

Authorities launched the investigation in early 2024 after receiving a tip about a Pueblo storage unit. On Jan. 22, 2024, police found human remains inside a metal container filled with concrete, identified as Yesenia via DNA testing.

Weeks later, on Feb. 6, 2024, investigators discovered Jesus Jr.’s remains stuffed inside a suitcase in the trunk of a car abandoned at a scrapyard — the vehicle was registered to Minjarez.

Neither child had ever been reported missing — they were last seen in 2018, per a Pueblo Police Department press release.

Their father, Jesus Dominguez Sr., was also arrested and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, tampering with a deceased human body, and abuse of a corpse as part of a plea deal that required him to testify against Minjarez, per previous reporting by People. Dominguez Sr. is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 12, 2025.

During Minjarez’s trial, prosecutors presented evidence including a receipt showing concrete purchased with her credit card and records linking the storage unit to her name, per KKTV.

The defense argued Minjarez acted out of fear and love for Dominguez Sr., claiming he was ultimately responsible for the children’s deaths.