Texas mother wanted for 1996 toddler murder captured in Mexico after 30 years
A Texas mother accused of killing her 3-year-old daughter in 1996 was arrested in Mexico after nearly three decades on the run and will be extradited to face capital-murder charges.
In 1996, 19-year-old Maria Narez was charged with the killing of her three-year-old daughter, Kasandra White, after allegedly shaking and throwing the child against a wall in their Fort Worth home. After a grand-jury indictment, a $25,000 bond was lowered and Narez fled across the border, disappearing for almost three decades. A 1997 arrest warrant remained active, and recent cooperation among the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office, Fort Worth Police Department, U.S. Marshals Mexico Foreign Field Office, Mexico Interpol, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs secured her capture in Mexico.
Investigators Tiffany Johnson, Victor Espino-Nevarez and Assistant District Attorney Steven Elliott were credited for the operation. Narez is expected to be extradited to Tarrant County to face capital-murder charges, highlighting persistent cross-border law-enforcement collaboration.
Why it matters
The case demonstrates that decades-old homicide cases can still be solved through international cooperation.
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