On his way to the Hillsborough County jail Friday morning, Adam Matos said he loved his son and that he doesn't know who killed four people in a Pasco County home.
Matos, the suspect in the murders of four people found dead Thursday, was taken into custody Friday morning in downtown Tampa.
The 4-year-old boy with him, Ismael "Tristan" Santisteban, was found safe in the hotel room. The boy, last seen at his home at 7719 Hatteras Drive in Hudson on August 28, had been the subject of a statewide Amber Alert.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco announced that Matos, 28, was taken into custody at the Floridan Hotel around 6 a.m.
On Thursday, deputies discovered the bodies of two men and two women piled on top of each other about three quarters of a mile down the road from the Hudson home. The identities of the four people killed have not been released.
Deputies had received conflicting information regarding whether Matos is the boy's biological father. People who know Matos said he calls Tristan his son.
Later on Thursday morning, as he was being transported from Tampa police headquarters to the Hillsborough County jail, Matos spoke to Bay News 9.
"I don't have anything to say right now," Matos began to a throng of media, before answering direct questions. "I love my son, I hope he is safe right now."
When asked why he took his son, Matos said: "He's my son."
He was then directly asked if he killed the people in Hudson: "No."
"Do you know who did?" he was asked. "I don't know."
A combination of law enforcement from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, FBI, FDLE and Tampa police arrested Matos on the 18th floor of the hotel after luring him out of his room.
According to Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor, Matos had checked into the hotel at midnight under his own name. Castor said he was recognized by a cab driver, people in the hotel and at a nearby bus station.
Authorities said Matos was lured out of his room after hotel officials told him there was a problem with the power and WiFi in his hotel room and a room switch was needed. He had called the front desk to request information about internet access.
Currently, Matos has only been charged with aggravated assault. He is expected to be extradited to Pasco County to face more charges.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the murders is ongoing in Hudson.
Deputies recently called to the house for domestic situation
Sheriff Nocco said Matos was involved in a domestic incident at the home last week, but Matos was not there when deputies arrived. According to reports, the boy's mother had made a call to 911 stating that Matos had put a knife to her neck.
Neighbor Andrew Coulstring said he heard a woman screaming from a home in the area in the last couple of weeks. He said the sound was bad enough, he and his mother went to check it out.
"It sounded like a woman in pain, like she had gotten hurt, and really, we were concerned enough to start heading in that direction," said Coulstring. "That's how the scream was, it was like someone needed help."
Coulstring said he wishes he would have called 911 at the time. He also said he saw buzzards circling in the wooded area just to the north of his home yesterday.
"I've seen him driving up and down this street," said Coulstring. "Either heading out to work or going to and from the house. Yeah, I've seen him a few times. I mean, made eye contact with him because I look at everyone that drives by here."