Missing Texas Girl, Thalia Macias, 16, Was Abducted by Wife of Gang Member Fabian "Joker" Moya, A Wannabe Rapper Who Brags of Houston PD Connections

On December 16, 2019, 15-year-old Thalia Macias was lured away from Mayde Creek High School in Houston, Texas, where she was a student, by a former friend of the family, named Norma Lopez. Thalia’s aunt and uncle, Alma Romero and Jose Saucedo, who helped raise Thalia and have primary custody of the girl, have not seen Thalia since she left for school that Monday morning, over a year ago.

Norma Lopez, the woman relatives say abducted Thalia, first showed up in the family’s lives a few years back, like a cancer. Thalia’s biological mother, Toni, was hooked on drugs and mostly out of the picture by the time Thalia’s biological father, Carlos, met Norma, and her boyfriend, David Basurto, in Houston in 2015. At the time 11-year-old Thalia was living with Carlos, and Carlos and Norma would regularly call Alma asking for money. Carlos was eventually incarcerated, and through a clerical error by police, Thalia ended up in the care of Norma’s kids’ father, despite having no relation to the woman.

Toni re-gained custody of her biological daughter Thalia in 2016, when Thalia was 12, but within less than a year, the arrangement fell apart. On April 9, 2016, Toni called Alma screaming that Thalia had gone missing. There were rumors Norma had taken her. Then Toni was incarcerated, so Alma and Jose got custody of Thalia and took over the missing persons investigation. Alma got Thalia’s story on Channel 2 news and, within two weeks, Thalia was quietly dropped off at a family member’s home in the middle of the night, freshly showered. For now, Thalia was back home.

Alma says that in the aftermath of Thalia’s first disappearance, Norma managed to convince Alma that she was actually a friend, and though a bit down on her luck, she had always had Thalia’s best interest at heart. She explained that she hadn’t taken Thalia; Thalia had run away and Norma was just trying to help.

*Text messages between Fabian Moya and Alma Romero (Provided by Alma Romero)*

*Text messages between Alma Romero and Fabian “Joker” Moya (Provided by Alma Romero)*

“She’s just so convincing,” Alma says, with a twinge of regret in her voice. Knowing Norma had no place else to go at the time, Alma invited Norma to come live in her home with them.

The problems started right away as Norma went to work manipulating Thalia and turning her against Alma for her own personal gain. Norma, who was addicted to opiates, also stole pills from Alma’s home. Norma’s own daughter, who was just a year-and-a-half older than Thalia would bully and physically assault Thalia. Alma and Jose kicked Norma out of their home.

The Friday before Thalia disappeared, Norma texted Alma.

“You’re gonna loose[sic] Thalia,” the foreboding message read.

Just three days later, Norma and her daughter somehow lured Thalia away from school, and she was not seen by Alma and Jose again. Alma knows it was Norma who took Thalia that day, because she saw her with Thalia on surveillance footage from a Popeye’s restaurant by a payphone where Thalia called her school.

Shortly after Thalia was taken by Norma in December 2019, Alma got a call from Norma’s husband, Fabian “Joker” Moya, of the South Houston “Money Gang.” Fabian told Alma that Thalia was being held at the Southway Manor Apartments in Houston. Alma and Jose, along with a private investigator they hired to help find Thalia, named JB, showed up at the apartments.

*Thalia Macias in a recent undated photo provided by Alma Romero*

Fabian “Joker” Moya (far left) is a wannabe rapper and member of the Money Gang in South Houston, who brags on social media about his connections to Houston law enforcement. Alma says Fabian considers himself above the law.

“Some girls came out of the apartment, then eight to ten guys came in a vehicle,” says Alma. She realized they’d been set up. “They were Norma’s in-laws.”

Alma and Jose were brutally attacked by a dozen gang members who repeatedly kicked Jose’s face in until he couldn’t open either of his eyes. Jose had to be taken to the hospital, but when the police showed up, Alma says they just laughed.

“The police came and they said, look at these people from the suburbs who came over here and just got their asses kicked,” says Alma. If the police have been reluctant to help Alma and Jose find Thalia, it might have something to do with Fabian Moya’s supposed close ties to the police, says Alma.

“Fabian is a rapper out here who works with the police, so [the Money Gang] never gets punished,” she says. “He brags about it all over social media.”

*Thalia Macias and her uncle, Jose Saucedo (Provided by Alma Romero)*

What would Norma and Fabian, whose own relationship is impossibly fickle, want with a 16-year-old girl to whom neither of them is related? Alma says she knows Thalia is being drugged and trafficked for money and continually brainwashed by Norma, Fabian, their children and their cronies. There have been sightings of Thalia who reportedly “looks really skinny and not good,” says Alma. Alma says Norma has also abducted at least two other children.

Some members of law enforcement, including Officer Frank Muniz of the Katy PD, have been more active in trying to find Thalia, explains Alma, but the pandemic has largely left his hands tied. Thalia was also provided with a legal advocate, named Jill Pruitt Allred, who has been helping the family try to find her, Alma says. But they can only work with the leads they have.

*Alma Romero, Thalia Macias, Jose Saucedo (provided by Alma Romero)*

Still, Alma chases down every lead that comes her way about Thalia, knowing full well this could get her killed. She does it for Thalia, who, though biologically her great-niece, she raised like a daughter, and who she loves so much she puts her life on the line every single day to get her back.

Alma says Fabian has contacted her a few times with Thalia’s location, including once from a hotel. Alma hired a militia group to help her retrieve Thalia, but the group scammed her instead. Though she follows up on every lead, Alma knows it’s only a matter of time before something even worse happens to her or Jose than the last time.

“The way my husband looked in the hospital…” Alma trails off. “We want Thalia back but we’re gonna end up dead.”

*Thalia Macias in an undated photo provided by Alma Romero.*

The most recent credible sighting of Thalia came about one month ago from someone who saw Thalia with Norma and one of her children in Pasadena, Texas. Alma says CPS has been unable to track Norma down as she lives a transient lifestyle. Alma knows Thalia is in great danger in Norma’s care; sources have told her that Thalia witnessed a shootout between Norma and her daughter, and that Norma’s daughter has recently attempted suicide.

In Alma’s and Jose’s care, Thalia flourished. She did well in school, even landing a coveted teaching assistant gig in the 9th grade. She had devoted friends and cared deeply about the homeless. Alma says Thalia was a happy, fun-loving and silly girl. Her personality comes across in a snapshot of a skinny girl with long, dark hair wearing fleece pajama pants and flip flops, and making faces from inside a supermarket freezer. She’d committed herself to never touching drugs after seeing what it did to her parents, Alma says. Unfortunately, it seems Thalia never had much say in the matter. Following her last abduction by Norma, Thalia was diagnosed with PTSD.

“I sleep in her room every night,” says Alma, her voice breaking. She cannot hold back the tears. “Thalia, come home, we need you home, ” she says, when I ask what she would say to Thalia now. “We love you and miss you and we are not mad at you. We want to help you.”

If you have any information about the disappearance of Thalia Macias, please contact Detective Frank Muniz of the Katy Police Department at (281) 237-4051.