DFW real estate agent arrested after breakthrough in 2012 Arlington murder investigation

ARLINGTON, Texas - Investigators from the Arlington Police Department and the FBI Dallas Field Office have made an arrest in connection to a 2012 cold case murder in Arlington.

2012 Arlington murder arrest

What we know:

Public records show Mayra Velasquez was arrested on July 16. Velasquez has been charged with capital murder in connection to a Jan. 2012 incident. 

Public records show that Velasquez is a real estate agent with Pure Realtors, LLC. Her license is currently still active. Pure Realtors did not respond to FOX 4's request for comment.

She is being held without bond.

Dig deeper:

Arlington Police and the FBI Dallas Field Office confirmed Velasquez had been arrested in connection to the 2012 murder of 32-year-old Irasema Chavez.

Chavez was found dead at her apartment in the 2700 block of S. Collins Street on Jan. 20, 2012. She had been stabbed 100 times.

In 2012, Arlington Police released surveillance footage from the night before Chavez's murder to help identify a person seen entering the apartment, but were unable to identify a suspect in the murder after pursuing multiple leads.

During their investigation, Arlington PD commissioned a composite profile of the suspect in conjunction with Virginia-based Parabon Nanolabs, but it did not generate any leads.

In Nov. 2024, Arlington PD and the FBI Dallas Field Office partnered on the case by using the FBI's Investigative Genetic Genealogy program.

In early 2026, detectives made a significant break in the case, leading to an arrest in relation to the case.

What we don't know:

It's unclear what the break in the case was that led to the arrest, or the circumstances that led to Chavez's murder.

What's next:

Arlington Police and the FBI's Dallas office will hold a joint press conference at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22 to discuss more about the case.