A Texas real estate agent has been arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the 2012 stabbing death of her longtime friend, Irasema Chavez-Sanchez, after investigators used advances in forensic DNA technology to solve a case that had remained unsolved for more than 14 years. Authorities announced the arrest of Mayra Velasquez, 42, following a years-long investigation led by the Arlington Police Department in partnership with the FBI Dallas Field Office. (ABC News)
Investigators say Chavez-Sanchez, 32, was found dead inside her Arlington apartment on January 20, 2012, after a family member discovered her body. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide, determining she had been stabbed approximately 100 times. Detectives found no signs of forced entry, leading them to believe the victim knew the person who entered her home. Surveillance footage captured an individual wearing a hooded sweatshirt entering the apartment the night before the killing, but investigators were unable to identify the suspect at the time. (wfaa.com)
According to newly released court documents, the breakthrough came through investigative genetic genealogy, a forensic technique that combines crime scene DNA with genealogy research. Detectives reexamined a blood sample recovered from the apartment and, after identifying a potential family connection, placed Velasquez under surveillance. Investigators later collected items she discarded after eating at a restaurant, including a plastic fork. Laboratory testing allegedly matched DNA recovered from the fork to the blood evidence found at the murder scene, providing the basis for her arrest warrant. (KERA News)
Court records indicate police believe Velasquez and Chavez-Sanchez were close friends who lived only a few miles apart when the killing occurred. Detectives have alleged that the homicide happened during the commission or attempted commission of a robbery, resulting in the capital murder charge. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a specific motive beyond the allegations contained in the charging documents, and investigators continue to review additional evidence as the case moves through the court system. (11alive.com)
Velasquez, who previously worked as a licensed real estate agent in North Texas, is being held in the Tarrant County Jail without bond. The case has drawn national attention because it highlights how modern DNA analysis and investigative genetic genealogy are helping law enforcement solve decades-old cold cases that once appeared unsolvable. Prosecutors must now prove the allegations in court, and Velasquez is presumed innocent unless and until she is convicted. (ABC News)
