Maria Narez Arrested Nearly Three Decades After Fugitive Escape

Maria Narez went on the run in 1997 after the death of her three-year-old daughter, Kasandra L. White and she stayed hidden for almost 30 years but this month, she was arrested in Mexico.

The Incident In Tarrant County

Narez is now 48 years old, but she was just 19 when her daughter died in Texas. According to a FOX 4 News report, “A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Narez on a capital murder charge in April 1997.”

The outlet also reported the court documents indicate Narez allegedly “shook her, threw her into a wall, striking her with an unknown object, and causing her head to hit a door.”

“Before the case could go to trial, Narez fled and has remained a fugitive for decades,” the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release quoted by Us Weekly.

The Search Didn’t Stop

The search for Maria Narez involved several federal and international agencies.

The capture was credited to the “Mexico Interpol, the U.S. Marshals Mexico Foreign Field Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs,” along with local district attorney investigators.

“Their tireless work ensures this decades-old case was not forgotten; and neither was the pursuit of justice,” the DA’s office said in the release.

So far, authorities have released no details about what led them to Narez in Mexico. That information might remain confidential while the case is pending.

Awaiting Extradition

Narez remains in Mexico for now, awaiting extradition to the USA. It could take some time to happen and this sort of thing relies on a legal treaty.

According to a U.S. Law Library of Congress report titled “Extradition Treaty Between the United States of America and the United Mexican States,” the agreement was signed in 1978 and took effect in 1980.

The treaty allows Mexico to seek assurances that the death penalty will not be imposed before granting extradition.

No Plea Yet

Narez hasn’t entered a formal plea yet, and it isn’t clear if she has a lawyer. The DA’s office told Us Weekly that they “never gave up on bringing Narez back to face the charge against her and answer for the death of her daughter.”

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