KYLE, Texas – A registered sex offender in San Antonio is facing more charges after investigators identified a second victim and found he was in possession of child pornography, according to Hays County officials.
Diego Alejandro Cortez, 24, was arrested earlier this month in Kyle for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with a 10-year-old girl.
Cortez 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.
Investigators said Cortez used Snapchat to lure a 10-year-old Kyle girl from her home on July 2. A day after his arrest for that incident, 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.
The Hays County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Thursday to urge other victims to come forward.
“Because there are so many images, I’d say the counts that are filed are considerably low when you account for the number of total pictures that are on the device,” said Sgt. Mark Opiela, with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said there is evidence that Cortez had sexual intercourse with multiple young girls in and around the San Antonio area in recent months. Cortez lived in Abilene and Kyle before moving to San Antonio in December of 2022.
“It could encompass the whole state of Texas for all we know,” Opiela said. “We would anticipate victims across the state.”
Investigators said Cortez met the girls on Snapchat, identifying some through the maps feature and then friending others based on the app’s friend suggestion. He portrayed himself as a young person to develop relationships and earn the girls’ trust, investigators said. He would then invite them to meet up.
“Unfortunately, these victims found themselves in situations they had never been in and they didn’t know their way out and unfortunately from there, he took advantage of opportunities,” Opiela said.
Cortez was known by the Snapchat profile names of Dfordiegs and Slowbass4367.
Diego Alejandro Cortez is a registered sex offender in Texas (Hays County Sheriff’s Office)
Cortez is being held in the Hays County Jail with bonds totaling $400,000. Investigators said it will be up to the magistrate judge to determine whether he will be allowed to post bond.
“There are some recommendations for some bond conditions that are in place,” Opiela said. “It didn’t stop him last time. He was a registered sex offender already.”
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.
“There is evidence both through videos and photos that he was engaging in this behavior shortly after he bonded out from his original (2021 arrest),” Opiela said.
Parents are asked to contact Sergeant Mark Opiela with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office by phone at 512-393-7896 or by email mark.opiela@co.hays.tx.us 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.
“We know there are more victims. I know it’s hard for these young females to come forward. We encourage (you). We’re here to help. We want to get you justice. What Mr. Cortez is doing is sick. It’s evil and he needs to spend the rest of his life in prison,” said Deputy Anthony Hipolito, with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office. “Please reach out to your parents, please reach out to your counselors, your teachers, whoever you need to to get the help. I promise you the Hays County Sheriff’s Office will not leave you by yourself. We will take care of you. We have victim’s services available.”