SANTA ANA, Calif. (Gray News) – A woman from California accused of killing and decapitating her boyfriend last year has been arrested in Mexico after a monthslong search, Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.
Alyssa Marie Lira, 23, of Anaheim, is charged with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement for personally using a weapon. If convicted on all counts, she faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison.
The case stems from the discovery of 55-year-old Enrique Gonzalez-Carbajal’s headless body inside Lira’s home on Aug. 25, 2025.
Investigators identified Lira as a suspect and determined that she fled to Mexico immediately after the killing.
Lira was taken into custody in Mexico on Jan. 22 after a monthslong international search, authorities said. She was booked into the Anaheim Police Department detention facility on suspicion of murder.
The investigation involved Anaheim police homicide detectives working with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office Organized Crime Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Orange County Resident Agency, the FBI’s assistant legal attachés in Mexico, and Mexican authorities.
Lira is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 13. She is currently being held at the Orange County Jail without bail.
“Nothing, not time, not distance, nor foreign borders, will thwart our pursuit of justice, and Orange County law enforcement will continue to go the very ends of the earth to carry out our mission and hold criminals accountable for the heinous acts they commit,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
He added, “This investigation and prosecution are a testament to the tenacity and the dedication of the Anaheim Police Department, of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and of our federal and international partners to identify a cold-blooded killer, track her down in a foreign country, and bring her back to the United States to face the full weight of the law.”
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