Mayra Velasquez, 42, has been charged with murder in connection with the 2012 killing of 32-year-old Irasema Chavez
Credit: Arlington Police Department
NEED TO KNOW
- Mayra Velasquez, 42, has been arrested for the alleged 2012 murder of 32-year-old Irasema Chavez after a DNA breakthrough led to new evidence in the case
- Police used advanced genetic genealogy technology and a DNA profile to identify Velasquez as a suspect
- Surveillance footage from the night before the murder showed a person entering Chavez’s apartment, suggesting they might have known her
A woman has been arrested in Texas in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 32-year-old woman who was killed more than a decade ago.
Mayra Velasquez was charged with capital murder by terror threat on Friday, July 17, according to prison records seen by PEOPLE. The 42-year-old, who is being held in the Tarrant County Jail, was arrested in connection with the 2012 killing of Irasema Chavez, CBS News reported.
Chavez was found dead after being stabbed around 100 times in her apartment on South Collins Street in Arlington on Jan. 20, 2012, according to FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth. The Arlington police launched an investigation into her death, and released footage from the night before the killing, the outlet stated. However, they were unable to identify the person seen entering the property.
Credit: Arlington Police Department
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In 2016, the Arlington police created a DNA profile from blood recovered at the scene and sent it to Parabon NanoLabs, which then generated a predicted image of the suspect’s physical appearance of a woman with long brown hair and Latino ancestry, per CBS News.
In November 2024, the Arlington Police Department then worked with the FBI Dallas Field Office on the case, using the agency’s advanced investigative genetic genealogy program. This produced a significant lead based on further evidence that ultimately led to Velasquez’s arrest, CBS News reported.
Credit: Arlington Police Department
The initial police investigation determined there was no forced entry to Chavez’s apartment, suggesting the attacker knew the victim, the outlet noted.
The surveillance footage released by police in 2012 from the night before the murder showed a person in a hoodie and baggy pants walking up the stairs outside Chavez’s apartment and knocking on the door. The door opened and the person talked to someone before walking inside, per FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth.
Velasquez recently worked as a sales representative for a local limo company and she was also a realtor, per CBS News. It is unclear how she knew Chavez at the time of her death.
Criminologist Dr. Alex Del Carmen, who is not involved in the investigation, credited this latest case breakthrough to the development of modern DNA analysis.
“It’s not based on a guess. It’s not based on a witness that may have seen something,” he told NBC 5 DFW. “It’s based on the DNA that already tells there are certain components of that DNA that are typical of people that may have green eyes or may have brown eyes.”
Velasquez is currently in custody at the Tarrant County Corrections Center with no bond, according to prison records seen by PEOPLE.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Arlington Police Department and the FBI for additional information, but didn’t immediately hear back.
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