Woman Charged With Murdering Texas Mom: Police Allege She Kidnapped Woman’s Baby Because Of Recent Miscarriage
On Tuesday, an Amber Alert was issued in Houston, Texas, for baby Chamali Flores, after her mother, Carolina Flores, was found stabbed to death. Chamali seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Two days later, police announced that a woman who had recently experienced a miscarriage had been apprehended and charged with killing the 6-week-old’s mom.
Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo said during a news conference that Chamali was “recovered at a Houston apartment complex a little after 1 a.m. Thursday,” according to ABC News. He said the baby girl is “very healthy” and was not harmed whatsoever. Chamali was subsequently taken to a local hospital for examination as a precaution and is currently in the custody of child protective services.
The police chief also indicated that Erika Jisela Miranda-Alvarez, 28, had been arrested and charged with capital murder in the death of Carolina Flores, 33. Acevedo further noted that Miranda-Alvarez had recently experienced a miscarriage that she was trying to hide from her boyfriend, ABC News reports. The woman’s boyfriend is also being investigated, but he has not been charged in the case.
Carolina was stabbed to death in her Greenspoint-area apartment, and on Tuesday, December 19, at around 1 p.m., family members discovered her body, the Houston Patch reports. Chamali was nowhere to be found.
UPDATE: This is the mug shot of Erika J. Miranda-Alvarez, 28, who our investigators arrested this morning at an apartment at 9707 South Gessner. Minutes ago, she was formally charged with capital murder in this ongoing investigation. #hounews pic.twitter.com/k6EOZNCrIt
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) December 21, 2017
An Amber Alert was issued the same night for Chamali and the man identified as the child’s father, Marcos Mariano Tomas Palacios, 34, according to the Houston Patch. Palacios was initially considered a person of interest in the case, but was eventually located and cleared of any involvement in Carolina’s murder and his daughter’s kidnapping.
On December 20, police held a news conference, telling the media that investigators believed the murder and kidnapping may have been committed by a woman who had recently lost a child. Authorities asked the public to be on the lookout for any female who suddenly had a baby, but who did not seem to be pregnant prior.
It appears the residents of Houston took the request of authorities to heart, as in the early morning hours of December 21, police received a tip that a couple was holding a baby, according to ABC 14 News. The baby turned out to be Chamali.
Officials are urging anyone with information regarding the Flores case to contact the Houston Police Department at 713-308-3600 or Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
