Texas Mother Accused of Killing Toddler Arrested in Mexico After 29 Years
A Texas mother wanted in connection with the alleged killing of her 3-year-old daughter has been arrested in Mexico after nearly three decades on the run.
The suspect, identified as Maria Narez, was accused of killing her daughter, Kasandra White, in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1996. Narez was 19 years old at the time of the alleged killing.
According to court records cited by US media, investigators alleged that Narez violently assaulted the toddler by shaking her, striking her with an unidentified object and throwing her against a wall. She reportedly told police at the time that she had been overwhelmed and depressed.
Narez was later indicted by a grand jury on a capital murder charge. She was released on bond after a judge reduced the amount to $25,000, but authorities issued a warrant for her arrest in 1997 after she disappeared.
She remained wanted for almost 30 years before investigators recently located her in Mexico. Authorities have not publicly disclosed all details about how she was tracked down or where she had been living during her years as a fugitive.
Her capture involved cooperation between the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, US authorities and Mexican law enforcement agencies. She is expected to be extradited to Tarrant County, Texas, to face the capital murder charge.
The arrest brings a major development to a case that had remained unresolved for decades. Authorities are now expected to begin the process of returning Narez to Texas, where she will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations in court.
Narez remains presumed innocent unless and until she is convicted by a court of law.
