A Texas woman, Maria Narez, 48, has been arrested in Mexico after allegedly fleeing the country 30 years ago following the death of her toddler daughter. Prosecutors in Tarrant County said Narez was apprehended on Saturday.
Narez was initially arrested at age 19 in connection with the 1996 death of her three-year-old daughter, Kasandra White. According to court documents, Narez intentionally shook White and threw her against a wall, causing her head to strike a door, and also hit the child with an object. Fort Worth Police Department Sgt. Fred Pendergraf stated in 1996 that Narez told police she was depressed and stressed when her daughter refused to go to bed, which angered her. The child later told her mother, "It hurts," before going to sleep.
Narez was jailed on November 13, 1996, after bringing an unconscious White to the hospital the day after the incident. White died three days later from blunt force trauma to the head. Initially, Narez claimed her daughter had fallen off a bicycle, but later admitted to causing the injuries.
Narez was indicted on a capital murder charge in April 1997. However, she failed to appear in court later that year after a judge reduced her bond to $25,000. A warrant was issued for her arrest in late 1997 after her bond was forfeited, but she had already left the United States.
The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office pursued the case for three decades, crediting the collaboration of multiple agencies for Narez's capture. These included Mexico Interpol, the U.S. Marshals Mexico Foreign Field Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Justice-Office of International Affairs, DA Investigators Tiffany Johnson and Victor Espino-Nevarez, and Assistant DA Steven Elliott.
"Their tireless work ensures this decades-old case was not forgotten - and neither was the pursuit of justice," the DA's office stated. "The DA's office never gave up on bringing Narez back to face the charge against her and answer for the death of her daughter."
Narez is awaiting extradition from Mexico to Tarrant County to face the capital murder charge. If convicted, she could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty under Texas law. Narez was working as a grocery store clerk at the time of her daughter's death. Her 1996 mugshot has been made available, but her current appearance is unknown. It is also unclear where she resided in Mexico during her 30 years on the run.