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Following a two-week manhunt, authorities have arrested the suspected fugitive mother-in-law accused of killing a former Mexican beauty queen, Mexican officials announced Thursday.
Authorities said 27-year-old Carolina Flores Gómez, who was crowned Miss Teen Universe Baja California in 2017, was fatally shot on April 15 inside her apartment in one of Mexico City’s most affluent neighborhoods, according to local outlet El Pais.
Erika María was captured in Venezuela after Mexican authorities obtained an arrest warrant and worked in coordination with Interpol to issue a Red Notice, enabling Venezuelan law enforcement to locate and detain her following the alleged murder, Mexican officials said.
“The detained individual is currently in the custody of authorities in that country, while the necessary procedures are carried out to formalize her extradition to Mexico,” the Mexico City Attorney General’s Office said.
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Maria was identified as a lead suspect in the murder investigation, according to local reports, as video evidence later surfaced on social media showing the mother-in-law at the scene.
The victim was found with 12 gunshot wounds, including six to the head and six to the chest, inside a Polanco neighborhood apartment she shared with her son, Alejandro, and the couple’s 8-month-old child, Mexican outlet Record reported.
The son is also under investigation after reports indicated he allowed his mother to flee the scene before reporting the shooting the following day, raising the possibility of a cover-up, El Pais added.
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Video recorded by a baby monitor, released by local outlet Reforma, appeared to capture the moments leading up to the alleged killing, all while the son was nearby caring for the baby.
In the clip, the mother was seen following Flores into a room before multiple gunshots were heard, followed by a scream.
In response, the son appeared to walk into the frame holding his child to confront his mother, asking what had happened.
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In a baffling turn, Maria appeared to respond callously to her son.
“Nothing, she just made me angry,” the mom said as she walked away.
“What are you doing? She is my family,” he said.
The mother was then heard explaining, “You are mine and she stole you.”
Flores’ mother, Reyna Gomez Molina, told Univision News that the son allegedly delayed reporting the incident out of fear that the child would be placed in foster care.
“Thinking that if he was arrested, the baby would go to a children’s home. He made sure to record videos so they would know how to feed the child while he was away taking care of all the paperwork. That’s what he told me,” she said, adding that her offer to take care of her grandson was declined.
She had also pressed the son to clarify whether he had been next to the victim the entire time before reporting the incident but did not provide further details, according to the outlet.
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