A Texas woman who has spent the past 30 years on the run was arrested and charged with murder after she allegedly killed her 3-year-old daughter in 1996.
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office confirmed in a news release on Monday, August 10, that Maria Narez was arrested on Saturday, August 8, in Mexico. She was captured and taken into custody nearly three decades after she was indicted in 1999 for allegedly murdering her daughter, Kassandra White, and fleeing the country.
“Before the case could go to trial, Narez fled and has remained a fugitive for decades. She was arrested Saturday in Mexico,” the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said in the release.
Despite confirming her arrests, authorities did not share any additional details about the events that led up to tracking her down and taking her into custody.
White died after Narez, now 48, allegedly shook her, threw her into a wall and hit her head on a door during an incident in November 1996, according to the 1999 Tarrant County grand jury indictment that was obtained by FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth.
Narez was indicted on a capital murder charge in April 1997. After she was arrested, she was released when her bond was reduced to $25,000 and fled the country. A warrant for her arrest was issued in late 1997 when she didn’t show up to court, and authorities quickly learned she was no longer in the United States.
Authorities continued to search for Narez for three decades before she was eventually arrested. She is expected to be extradited back to Tarrant County at a later date.
“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 office said in the statement.
Several departments worked together amid the investigation to make the arrest happen, including the 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 and DA Investigators Tiffany Johnson and Victor Espino-Nevarez.
“Their tireless work ensures this decades-old case was not forgotten – and neither was the pursuit of justice,” the DA’s office concluded in the release.
It’s not currently clear if Narez has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest.
The DA’s office did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding the case.
