Hillsborough officers were searching Thursday for a man they say beat a woman and a toddler to death in Dover on Wednesday.

Authorities said Angel Gabriel Cuz-Choc, 31, ran from the mobile home in the 3700 block of Sumner Road after the murders, Sheriff Chad Chronister said at a news conference at the scene Wednesday night. . He said officers were asking area residents to keep their doors closed and stay inside their homes.

Officers believe the murders occurred around 3:40 p.m., when a neighbor heard a woman screaming, but the neighbor did not call the police because that was not out of the ordinary, Chronister said. A roommate came home around 5:30 p.m., found the victims and called 911.

Responding officers found the woman’s body lying in the backyard of the home, then entered the mobile home and found the body of a girl, estimated to be about 4 or 5 years old, Chronister said.

Deputies believe Cuz-Choc ran through some nearby strawberry fields and into the woods after the murders. The Sheriff’s Office was using a helicopter and K-9 units to search for him, Chronister said.

“We know just from the timeline that we were way ahead of ourselves, but that’s nothing we can’t overcome through technology, aviation and a lot of hard work and determination,” Chronister said.

Cuz-Choc was romantically involved with the woman and officers believe the girl is his daughter, but they were working to confirm it, Chronister said. He said Cuz-Choc, the woman and the child moved to the area about seven months ago from Guatemala.

Chronister urged Cuz-Choc to “do himself and this community a favor and turn himself in.”

“Because I promise you, there is no place you can hide where we won’t find you,” he said.

The Sheriff’s Office urges anyone with information about Cuz-Choc or his whereabouts to call detectives at 813-247-8200.