Man allegedly killed mother of his children in Long Beach, smuggled body to Mexico, prosecutors say
By Anabel Munoz
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TIJUANA, Mexico (KABC) — A man has been taken into custody in Mexico after he allegedly killed the mother of his children in Long Beach and crossed the border in an attempt to hide her body in Baja California, where she was found deceased, Mexican prosecutors said.
The victim’s 26-year-old son identified her as Aracely Romero Acevedo in a brief interview with ABC7.
According to the Baja California state attorney general’s office, about 8:30 p.m. Saturday a report was received of a deceased person inside a vehicle in the El Centenario district in La Paz.
Emergency responders confirmed that the victim was found in the passenger seat with no vital signs and with visible indications of violence, including possible strangulation.
A man identified only as “Erik N,” the victim’s alleged romantic partner, was taken into custody at the scene, the attorney general’s office said in a statement. He is suspected of committing the crime in Long Beach and then crossing the border into Tijuana to hide the woman’s body.
“Erik N.” was transferred to the custody of the attorney general’s office as the investigation continued.
Erik Almanza told ABC7 that his father called him Saturday night around 8 p.m. and told him he had killed Erik’s mother. By then, he says, his father was already in Tijuana. According to Almanza, during the phone call the father said he would hide the mother’s remains and turn himself in to authorities.
According to Almanza, his parents had argued that afternoon and his mother was taking his father to work around 3 p.m.
According to preliminary information, the suspect had been living in the U.S. illegally for more than 20 years, prosecutors said. In a statement, the attorney general’s office said it was in contact with authorities in Long Beach, with the aim of gathering additional details that may help clarify the case.
A meeting was also held with FBI agents and Los Angeles Police Department officials to exchange information relevant to the investigation, Mexican authorities said.
“Although the crime was committed on U.S. soil, the State Attorney General’s Office will continue with the corresponding legal actions, as the man has an open investigation file in Tijuana,” Mexican prosecutors said in a news release.
Long Beach police said it is investigating the killing, and detectives are working with Mexican authorities to determine where the murder occurred.
Almanza says his mother was born and raised in Tijuana before moving to the U.S. where she graduated from a trade school to work in medical billing before doing tax-related work.
Almanza says his mother cared about her five children – ages 16 to 26 – and would help pick them up through life’s ups and downs.
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