A Texas woman killed a mother and kidnapped her infant daughter in an attempt to cover up her own miscarriage, police say.
The murder and abduction triggered a nationwide Amber Alert for 6-week-old Shamali Flores, who was found unharmed Thursday.
Erika Miranda-Alvarez, 28, was arrested and charged with the killing of 33-year-old Carolina Flores, according to her arrest record.
What happened?
Carolina Flores was found stabbed to death in an apartment complex in Houston Tuesday afternoon, according to police.
Flores' infant daughter was nowhere to be found.
Flores had moved to the United States from Honduras five years ago for a better life, according to KPRC-TV. She had two other children, ages 7 and 17, the news station reported.
"Although we mourn the loss of her mother Carolina, we celebrate her recovery," Houston police Chief Art Acevedo tweeted after the baby was found Thursday.
Miranda-Alvarez, her boyfriend and baby Shamali were taken into custody early this morning after witnesses reported suspicious activity at an apartment complex, police said.
"She was taken to the hospital and determined to be very healthy and unharmed, and is currently in the custody of Child Protective Services," Acevedo said during a press conference.
The investigation
Investigators determined that Miranda-Alvarez was due to have a baby in January but had a miscarriage.
She reportedly hid the miscarriage from her boyfriend and continued to fake the pregnancy.
She had connected with Flores through her brother, police say. She killed her and kidnapped Shamali in hopes of passing her off as her own, according to police.
She acted as if she had brought the infant home from the hospital, police say.
The suspect’s boyfriend is under investigation, but has not been charged.
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