Suspect accused of killing mother of his children and smuggling her body into Mexico to dump it
A man accused of killing the mother of his children in Long Beach, California, and smuggling her body across the border into Mexico, has been taken into custody, according to authorities in Baja California.
The victim, identified by her family as Aracely Romero Acevedo, was found dead in the passenger seat of a vehicle in the El Centenario district of La Paz on Saturday night.
Mexican prosecutors said the suspect, identified as “Erik N.”, was detained at the scene. Investigators believe he killed Romero in Long Beach before driving south into Tijuana to dispose of her body.
Acevedo’s body showed visible signs of violence and possible evidence of strangulation, investigators said.
Erik Almanza, the woman’s 26-year-old son, confirmed her identity in an interview with ABC7 and said the family is devastated. He said that his father called him around 8 p.m. Saturday and confessed to the killing. The suspect was already across the border at the time of the call.
“He told me he had killed my mom,” Almanza said, adding that his father allegedly said he planned to hide her body before surrendering to police.
Almanza also told investigators that his parents had argued earlier that day and that his mother was giving his father a ride to work around 3 p.m., hours before the alleged killing.
Prosecutors in Baja California said the suspect was an undocumented immigrant who had been living in the United States for more than two decades. They are now working closely with authorities in Long Beach, the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department, to piece together the timeline of the killing.
“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,” prosecutors said in a statement.
Romero, known to loved ones as “Chely,” was born and raised in Tijuana before moving to the United States, where she completed trade school and built a career in medical billing and tax preparation, her son told ABC7.
“She was a mother, a sister, a friend, and the heart of her home,” her family wrote on a GoFundMe page created to help with funeral expenses, adding that she devoted her life to her five children and was the steady force who kept everyone together.
“They were her entire world. Everything she did, every sacrifice she made, was for them.”
“Aracely’s love will live on through her children and through all of us who were blessed to know her,” the family wrote. “She will never be forgotten – her laughter, her kindness, and her beautiful soul will stay in our hearts forever. She now rests in peace together with our mother, who was her best friend.”
