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Texas Mom Murdered, Baby Is Missing, Police Now Say Crimes May Have Been Committed By Woman Who Wanted Child

By Cia Young
Published on: 21:16 PST, Dec 20, 2017

On Wednesday, an Amber Alert remained active for a Houston, Texas baby who vanished after the murder of her mother, Carolina Flores, 33. Police now say the killing may have been committed by a woman who wanted the six-week-old and was familiar with the Flores family.

During a news conference held Wednesday in the parking lot of Carolina’s Greenspoint apartment complex, Houston Police announced the person who kidnapped the missing baby, Chamali Flores, probably knew the neighborhood in which the slain woman lived, according to the Houston Patch.

Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo said during the press event that the individual who abducted Chamali may be presenting the baby as her own, saying the infant was “recently born,” according to WUSA 9 News. He asked the public to think about any person who currently has a child and did not appear to have been pregnant, possibly a family or woman who may have “lost a child recently.” Acevedo noted that police may want to follow up and talk to these particular individuals.

The police chief also indicated the murder and abduction case has been a difficult one to investigate because many of those who reside in Carolina’s apartment complex are of Hispanic descent and fear law enforcement. Acevedo said police are “not worried about immigration status” and are only concerned about getting Chamali “back safely where she belongs,” the Houston Chronicle reports. He added that a $5,000 reward is being offered in the case.

Carolina was stabbed to death in an apartment she reportedly shared with several other people, according to the Houston Chronicle.

On Tuesday, December 19, at around 1 p.m. family members discovered her body, the Houston Patch reports. Chamali was nowhere to be found.

An Amber Alert was issued that same night for Chamali and the man identified as her father, Marcos Mariano Tomas Palacios, 34, according to the Houston Patch. Palacios was eventually located and cleared of any involvement in Carolina’s murder and his daughter’s kidnapping.

By Wednesday afternoon, the FBI and Texas Equusearch had joined law enforcement in search of baby Chamali, according to WUSA 9 News.

Chamali is described as being about 30 inches long and weighing approximately 20 pounds. Authorities say the baby is thought to be Honduran and may be of black or mixed race origin.

Officials are urging anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Chamali Flores and/or the murder of her mother, Carolina Flores, to contact the Houston Police Department at 713-308-3600 or Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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