A Texas woman accused of killing her 3-year-old daughter in 1996 has been arrested in Mexico, where she had been living for nearly 30 years. Maria Narez, now 48, faces capital murder charges in the death of her daughter, Kasandra White.
Authorities announced Narez's arrest on Saturday, concluding a decades-long search initiated after she allegedly fled the U.S. following a judge lowering her bond in 1997. The Tarrant County District Attorney's office stated that they "never gave up on bringing Narez back to face the charge against her and answer for the death of her daughter."
According to court documents, Narez, then 19 and working as a grocery store clerk, was accused of shaking, beating, and throwing Kasandra against a wall in their Fort Worth home in November 1996. At the time, Narez reportedly told investigators she was feeling depressed and stressed when the incident occurred. A Fort Worth Police Department sergeant stated that Narez allegedly picked up the child by her chest, threw her against a wall, and her head struck a door edge.
The toddler initially complained of pain but went to bed. Narez later took her daughter to a hospital, where the child lost consciousness and subsequently died. Narez was indicted by a grand jury the following year. After her bond was forfeited, she vanished and is believed to have crossed the border into Mexico.
Details regarding Narez's specific location of arrest in Mexico and her activities over the past 29 years were not immediately available. Her apprehension was the result of a joint effort involving Mexico Interpol, the U.S. Marshals Mexico Foreign Field Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Justice-Office of International Affairs. Narez is awaiting extradition to Tarrant County to face the charges.