A Texas woman accused of killing her 3-year-old daughter in 1997 has been apprehended in Mexico, authorities announced. Maria Narez, 48, was taken into custody on Saturday following a joint international law enforcement effort, ending a nearly three-decade search that began when she disappeared before she could face trial.
Narez was originally arrested in 1996 in connection with the death of her daughter, Kasandra L. White. Court documents allege Narez fatally assaulted White by shaking her, striking her with an unidentified object, and throwing her against a wall. Her bail was initially set at $500,000 but was later reduced to $25,000. Release conditions included no contact with children under 17, electronic monitoring, and monthly drug tests.
A grand jury indicted Narez on a capital murder charge in April 1997. However, by August 28, 1997, her bondsman informed the court he could no longer locate her, and a judge issued an arrest warrant. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office stated that the bond was forfeited on October 7, 1997, and another warrant was issued.
Narez subsequently fled the country and remained a fugitive for nearly 30 years. The district attorney’s office credited Mexico Interpol, the U.S. Marshals Service’s Mexico Foreign Field Office, the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and its own investigators for their roles in Narez’s capture.
"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," the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said in a social media post.
Narez is expected to be extradited to Texas to face the capital murder charge.