A Texas woman accused of killing her 3-year-old daughter was captured in Mexico after nearly 30 years on the run, ending a search that began when she disappeared before she could face trial on a capital murder charge in 1997.
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said 48-year-old Maria Narez, was taken into custody Saturday following a joint international law enforcement effort.
Narez was arrested in Tarrant County in 1996 in connection with the death of her daughter, 3-year-old Kasandra L. White.
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Records obtained by FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth allege Narez fatally assaulted White by shaking her, striking her with an unidentified object and throwing her against a wall.
Her bail was initially set at $500,000 when the complaint was filed Dec. 4, 1996, then reduced to $25,000 the following day.
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Bond paperwork shows Narez’s release conditions included no contact with children under 17, electronic monitoring and monthly drug tests.
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A grand jury indicted Narez on a capital murder charge in April 1997, and prosecutors announced they were ready for trial.
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But by Aug. 28, 1997, Narez’s bondsman told the court he could not reach her and did not know where she was. A judge issued a warrant for her arrest that day.
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The docket later notes Narez’s bond was forfeited on Oct. 7, 1997, and another warrant was issued – with a handwritten notation indicating it had not been executed.
Narez later fled the country and remained a fugitive for nearly three decades, authorities said.
"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 social media post. "The DA’s office 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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The district attorney’s office credited Mexico Interpol, the U.S. Marshals Service’s Mexico Foreign Field Office, the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and its own investigators for their roles in Narez’s capture.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service for comment.
Narez is expected to be extradited to Texas to face the capital murder charge.
