NYC detectives and Mexican officials pursue suspect in Brooklyn bartender slaying
Police say the alleged killer of bartender Maria Santos Flores, slain on June 20 in Bay Ridge, is believed to be hiding in Mexico, prompting a joint U.S.-Mexican manhunt.
Investigators are tracking Misal Cruz, the man accused of killing bartender Maria Santos Flores on June 20, after she was found with her throat slashed in her Bay Ridge apartment. The NYPD, aided by federal law-enforcement agencies, has crossed into Mexico to locate the suspect, with Mexican officials now collaborating in the pursuit. Flores, 36, worked nights at Huatulco Sports Bar in Sunset Park and was discovered by her teenage son and sister Angelica Flores, who entered the home to visit her.
Her husband Antonio Hernandez said police suspect the assailant followed her from the bar that evening. The homicide is the first recorded murder this year in the NYPD’s 68th Precinct, which covers Brooklyn’s southwestern neighborhoods. Authorities continue to issue a wanted poster and urge the public to provide any leads.
Why it matters
The cross-border hunt highlights cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law-enforcement in a violent local crime.
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