Illegal Immigrant Fatally Stabbed Mother And Left Her Lifeless Body In Park, Police Say

An illegal immigrant from El Salvador is accused of fatally stabbing a Virginia mother before dumping her lifeless body near a jogging trail in Great Falls, Virginia, The Daily Wire has learned.

Police in Fairfax County said Wednesday that authorities had arrested 19-year-old Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos in connection with the homicide of Carmen Lizet Puch. Cedillos-Campos crossed the southern border into El Paso, Texas, in April 2024 and was quickly released into the United States, law enforcement sources told The Daily Wire.

At the time of his border crossing, Cedillos-Campos said he did not fear returning to his native country of El Salvador, but he was released anyway, sources said.

A jogger discovered Puch’s body just before 7 a.m. on Monday near her 2011 Honda Civic, which was parked in the lot at Difficult Run Park along Georgetown Pike near Old Dominion Drive, according to 7News.

“In Great Falls, it’s probably one of the safest places ever in the world,” Clare, who was out hiking with a friend Tuesday, said. “To have something happen like that feels personal, scary.”

Authorities said more details would be provided Wednesday afternoon.

“There is no immediate indication that this was a random act,” Capt. Jason Chandler said during a news conference on Monday.

Puch was the mother of a young daughter and worked with Cedillos-Campos at Bitez restaurant in Herndon, according to NBC Washington. Cedillos-Campos allegedly stabbed Puch while she was inside her vehicle.

Abdul Anwari, the owner of Bitez, said he and his employees were shocked after learning of Puch’s murder, NBC Washington reported.

“I don’t know if you can process something like this. It’s not something you expect. It’s not something that anyone would ever want to happen,” he told News4. “But you know, we’re still taking it [a] minute at a time.”

Anwari said a fundraiser has been set up to support Puch’s surviving daughter.

“We have a GoFundMe account set up, but we’re actually doing, we are personally donating to the family as well,” Anwari said. “But anyone in the community that can help, obviously, this is going to go directly to the family, and as far as I’m concerned, it should go to the daughter and make sure that she’s OK.”

Puch’s family members, who live in New Jersey, immediately drove to Virginia after learning of her killing to take care of her daughter, according to NBC Washington.