A 19-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador has been arrested over the brutal killing of his 42-year-old co-worker, who was found stabbed multiple times and doused with gasoline near a trail in Virginia, police said.Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos was arrested in Maryland on Wednesday in connection with the death of Carmen Lizet Puch, a mother of a three-year-old girl, whose body was discovered in the parking area of Difficult Run Park in Great Falls on Monday morning.
Co-workers were in ‘intimate relationship’
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said investigators had established that Cedillos-Campos and Puch worked together at a restaurant in Herndon and had been in an “intimate relationship”.Police said the two had intentionally met in a remote area of the park before the killing. Investigators are still trying to establish the motive and whether other relationships may have played a role.A jogger called 911 at around 6.45am on Monday after finding Puch lying near her car in a gravel parking area. Police said she had suffered multiple stab wounds and had been doused in gasoline.
Police allege suspect planned killing
Davis said surveillance footage showed Cedillos-Campos leaving the restaurant with a fixed-blade knife, black latex gloves and a water bottle before the attack.Investigators believe he siphoned gasoline from a motorcycle into the bottle and used it in an attempt to set Puch’s body on fire after repeatedly stabbing her.Police described the killing as premeditated. Davis said the suspect had confessed and was cooperating with investigators.“The way that she was treated by this killer was reprehensible,” the police chief said.
Arrested after crossing US border in 2024
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Cedillos-Campos was arrested by Border Patrol agents in April 2024 after illegally crossing into the US near El Paso, Texas. He was taken into custody and later released.DHS criticised the Biden administration over the case, while Davis said the suspect’s immigration status would play no role in how Fairfax County detectives conduct their homicide investigation.Cedillos-Campos is awaiting extradition to Virginia.
‘Loving mother’ leaves behind 3-year-old daughter
Puch was described by police as a “loving mother” to her three-year-old daughter, who is now being cared for by family members.The investigation remains ongoing, with detectives interviewing witnesses, relatives, friends and co-workers to determine the circumstances and motive behind the killing.
