A devoted young mother is dead, her infant left behind — and her family is now warning others.

FORT WORTH, Texas — A 26-year-old Fort Worth mother described by family as “very full of life” was found dead inside her apartment last week in what police are calling a domestic-related homicide, and the father of her 7-month-old son has been arrested in El Paso.

Talia Sanchez was discovered Feb. 11 inside her apartment near the 7300 block of Harris Parkway after her mother called police to conduct a welfare check. Officers initially searched the area but did not locate Sanchez. Later that evening, a search warrant was obtained, and officers entering the apartment found a deceased adult woman and evidence of a crime.

Elijah Jordan Jacobo, 27, who lived with Sanchez, was arrested by law enforcement officials in El Paso. He faces charges related to Sanchez’s death. 


“Where’s Levi?”

As the investigation unfolded, concern quickly shifted to the couple’s 7-month-old son, Levi.

“Then it turns into where’s Levi? Where did the baby go?” said Teresa Lovitt, Sanchez’s aunt.

Lovitt said the family learned Jacobo had taken Levi to relatives in New Mexico before leaving the infant there. Fort Worth Police Officer Cynthia Wood said law enforcement caught up with Jacobo in El Paso.

“When your information is entered into a warrant for a crime such as this, someone is going to encounter you,” Wood said.

Fort Worth police started a missing persons investigation before homicide detectives took over the case and prepared an arrest warrant for Jacobo. 


“She wanted to keep her family together”

Family members said Sanchez had been devoted to her son since his birth and that motherhood had transformed her.

“It changed her completely,” Lovitt said. “It was no longer about herself anymore.”

Lovitt said Sanchez had called police months earlier about a domestic violence incident but chose to stay in the relationship.

“She wanted to stay with him and keep her family together for the sake of Levi,” Lovitt said. “She didn’t want him to come from a broken home.”

Lovitt said there were warning signs leading up to Sanchez’s death, and the family had not heard from her in several days before her mother contacted police. Lovitt said Talia’s mom was informed of an argument between the couple the Sunday before. Jacobo told the Sanchez’s everything was alright.

Now, they are speaking out to other victims of domestic violence.

“If someone is hurting you, they are not going to change,” said Lovitt. “Don’t believe the lie and leave. You need to leave.”


Family seeks support for baby Levi

Levi is now in the care of family members, but they face significant challenges ahead. His belongings remain locked inside the apartment, and the family is seeking donations for baby items, funeral arrangements and legal expenses.

Lovitt said the family recently placed an enlarged photo of Sanchez in her sister’s home.

“When he saw it, he lunged forward to grab that picture,” Lovitt said.

The family says raising Levi will mean helping him understand the mother he lost.

“We’re going to do the best that we can to love him and let him know his mother from our eyes,” Lovitt said. “But it’s a completely different thing to know a mother and a mother’s love, and he’ll not know that.”