Woman used social media to catch man who killed her mom

U.S. newsWoman used social media to catch man who killed her mom Emilia Ignacio was killed in April 2014 at the hands of Juan Miguel Roman-Balderas. Her daughter tracked him down in Mexico, where he had started a new family.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Emilia Ignacio, left, and her daughter Kiany DeJesus.Courtesy of family via WRCShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 10, 2026, 3:29 PM EDTBy NBC WashingtonKiany DeJesus was just 11 years old when her mother was killed by her ex-boyfriend in Greenbelt, Maryland.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.In court Tuesday, the daughter watched him get sentenced to decades in prison for the 2014 killing — after she used social media to track him down in Mexico, where he had started a new family.Emilia Ignacio was killed in April 2014 at the hands of Juan Miguel Roman-Balderas.Her daughter delivered a tearful victim impact statement describing all that she lost.“I knew that if I didn’t get it out, I would probably regret it, so I’m glad that I did this and I’m glad that he got to hear it from my words too. It makes me really happy to finally get to close all of this,” she told News4.Emilia Ignacio.Courtesy of family via WRCProsecutors say Roman-Balderas took Ignacio to Red Lobster for dinner, stabbed her 27 times and took off to Mexico using a one-way ticket he bought before the killing. Her body was found in her car.Roman-Balderas had been hiding out in Mexico for over a decade. He started a new family, leaving behind the 1-year-old son he and Ignacio shared.DeJesus used social media to find him. She credits the Instagram account Crime Time Tea Time with giving the case the attention it needed, leading to Roman-Balderas’ arrest.“Without her, we wouldn’t have been able to get the ball rolling at all. We tried. We pushed a lot, and she was the only person to respond to us, and as soon as we started, you know, connecting with her, everything just one b...