Nebraska police search for missing boy after mother found slain

(Reuters) - Police in Omaha, Nebraska, were using dive teams and helicopters on Saturday to comb a river for a missing 5-year-old boy whose mother was killed this week, a crime his older brother confessed to carrying out, authorities said. Josue Ramirez-Marinero has been missing since Wednesday, the day his mother, Jesus "Ismenia" Marinero, 45, was found dead in a residential area of Omaha, the city's police department said in a news release. Marinero's 11-month-old baby, who along with Josue and Marinero herself, was reported missing hours before the discovery of the woman's body, was rescued from a dumpster at an apartment building later on Wednesday, police said. The child was in fair condition and returned to family members. Marinero's 25-year-old son, Roberto Martinez-Marinero, walked into the Douglas County Department of Corrections late on Friday and confessed to killing his mother, the news release said. Omaha police said in a statement they had reason to believe Josue was thrown into the Elkhorn River. They did not give details on why they believed that. Search teams, divers and boats were scouring the river and its surroundings for signs of the missing child, police said. Martinez-Marinero was booked into jail on charges of murder and use of a deadly weapon. The motive for the crime was not clear. Police on Saturday also announced the arrest of Martinez-Marinero's girlfriend, Gabriela Guevara, 24, as a suspected accessory to murder. It was unclear if either Guevara or Martinez-Marinero had obtained attorneys or how they intended to plead to the charges. (Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Peter Cooney)