Maria Narez, mugshot from 1996 arrest (Source: Tarrant County)
FORT WORTH, Texas - A woman who fled to Mexico nearly three decades ago while facing capital murder charges in the 1996 death of her 3-year-old daughter has been captured, authorities announced.
Fugitive captured in Mexico after nearly 30 years
Maria Narez, now 48, was arrested Saturday in Mexico following a joint international law enforcement effort.
Narez was originally arrested in Tarrant County in late 1996 after authorities alleged she killed her young daughter, Kasandra L. White. According to court documents, Narez intentionally caused the child's death by shaking her, throwing her into a wall, striking her with an unknown object, and causing her head to hit a door.
Indicted in 1996 toddler death
A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Narez on a capital murder charge in April 1997. However, after a judge reduced her bond to $25,000, Narez failed to appear for court proceedings later that year. A warrant was issued for her arrest in late 1997 after her bond was forfeited, but she left the country and remained a fugitive for nearly 30 years.
The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office maintained its pursuit of Narez throughout her decades on the run.
Authorities credited the capture to coordinated efforts between 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, alongside DA Investigators Tiffany Johnson and Victor Espino-Nevarez, and Assistant DA Steven Elliott.
Extradition pending
Narez is expected to be extradited back to Tarrant County to face the capital murder charge.
A current photo of Maria Narez was not immediately available.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Tarrant County District Attorney's office and court documents.