Cartel-Linked Mother Arrested In Mexico For 1997 Arizona Child Murder
Anna Marlene Somoza, a woman described as linked to Mexican cartels, was arrested Sunday, October 18, 2026, in Xochitepec, Mexico, after U.S. Marshals tracked her to the Cuernavaca area.[1]
U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said federal prosecutors are seeking Somoza's extradition to Arizona so she can face first-degree murder charges in the 1997 death of 3-year-old Crystal Reyes.[1] Authorities described Somoza as having ties to organized crime and said she had been a fugitive for more than a decade.[1]
On January 30, 1997, prosecutors say Crystal Reyes was bound, gagged and suffocated in a sealed cardboard box in Ahwatukee, Arizona.[1] Bone fragments found in Mobile, Arizona, in November 1998 were identified as hers in 2014.[1] DNA taken from Somoza and from Crystal's father, Darren Stockwell, helped secure first-degree murder indictments.[1]
Former narcotics detective Avelino Tamala was arrested in 2014 and sentenced to life in prison in 2016 for the killing.[1] U.S. Marshals led the operation that found Somoza near Cuernavaca, and Courchaine said extradition steps are underway so Arizona can prosecute.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Sunday, October 18, 2026, Somoza was arrested in Xochitepec, Mexico, after U.S. Marshals tracked her to the Cernavaca area.
- Crystal Reyes, born in November 1993, was allegedly bound, gagged, and ultimately suffocated in a sealed cardboard box in Ahwatukee, Arizona, on January 30, 1997.
- Bone fragments found in Mobile, Arizona, in November 1998 were identified as Crystal's in 2014 using DNA from both Somoza and father Darren Stockwell, leading to first-degree murder indictments.
- Former narcotics detective Avelino Tamala was arrested in 2014 and sentenced to life in prison in 2016 for the murder, while Somoza remained a fugitive for more than a decade.
- U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said efforts are underway to extradite Somoza from Mexico so she can face first-degree murder charges in Arizona.
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