Authorities say that an illegal alien who had been twice deported from the U.S. is responsible for the gruesome death of a mother and her two children in Des Moines, Iowa. The shocking murder occurred just one day after the suspect, Marvin Oswaldo Esquivel-Lopez, 31, appeared in court regarding a hit-and-run from May 2019 as well as driving without a license and insurance.

Esquivel-Lopez, 31, allegedly shot and killed Rossibeth Flores-Rodriguez, 29, Grecia Daniela Alvarado-Flores, 11, and Ever Jose Mejia-Flores, 5, on Tuesday night.

Apparently, Esquivel-Lopez is not the man's real name. "Escobar-Orellana, aka, Marvin O. Esquivel-Lopez, was previously (deported) from the United States in 2010 and again in 2011," ICE spokesman Shawn Neudauer told the Des Moines Register. "He has a prior federal conviction for illegal entry into the United States in 2010. He is not currently in ICE custody."

The man accused of killing two children and their mother has been twice deported. Marvin Oswaldo Esquivel-Lopez, known by another name by ICE officials, was deported in 2010 and 2011. @KCCINews pic.twitter.com/9eRipy6wMQ — Max Diekneite KCCI (@MDiekneiteKCCI) July 18, 2019

It is unclear why the illegal alien was living with Flores-Rodrigues and her two children, but police do not suspect the two had a romantic relationship.

"We may never know what the motive was," Sgt. Paul Parizek said Wednesday afternoon. "All we know is there was some sort of dispute between this man and the victim and he ended up, allegedly, shooting three people because of it. It's just sad."

Authorities had ample opportunity to apprehend Esquivel-Lopez and take him off the streets. According to the Des Moines Register, "Iowa court records show a handful of traffic tickets for Esquivel-Lopez. He had appeared in court Monday, a day before the shootings, and agreed to pay more than $1,400 in fines and fees related to a May traffic incident" for a hit-and-run in which he was cited for failure to maintain control and driving without a license or proof of insurance.

Grecia Daniela Alvarado-Flores was going to start middle school next fall and her brother, Ever, was going to start kindergarten.

The children's principal issued the following statement to their school following the announcement of their death:

"It goes without saying how horrible this tragedy is and we are all devastated by this news. Please keep Daniela’s extended family in your heart and prayers plus all the people here at Moulton that got to know and love Daniela."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on the suspect.