Arlington police, in collaboration with the FBI, arrested a suspect after a breakthrough in a decade-old cold case involving the 2012 murder of Irasema Chavez.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Arlington police say a break in a years-old cold case investigation has led to an arrest, more than a decade after a woman was found stabbed to death inside her apartment.
According to the department, 32-year-old Irasema Chavez was found dead on January 20, 2012. Investigators determined she had suffered multiple stab wounds. Despite pursuing several leads over the years, detectives were unable to identify a suspect at the time.
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The case gained new momentum in November 2024 when the Arlington Police Department’s Homicide Unit teamed up with the FBI Dallas Field Office for their Investigative Genetic Genealogy program. Earlier this year, authorities say that collaboration produced a significant breakthrough. After additional investigative work, the new lead resulted in an arrest.
Investigators announced that 42-year-old Mayra Velasquez was arrested on July 17 and charged with capital murder in connection with Chavez’s 2012 killing.
WFAA went to Velasquez’s last known Arlington address, where neighbors said they had not seen her family in the past week.
Velasquez identifies herself on Facebook as a realtor with a local real estate company. WFAA contacted several of her colleagues, who declined to comment, and some said they were shocked by her arrest.
According to police, surveillance video from Jan. 19, 2012, shows a person who an investigator later says is connected to Velasquez. The video shows a person wearing a hooded shirt who is knocking on Chavez’s apartment door at about 10:30 p.m. Police say the person on camera eventually entered the apartment moments later.
Arlington police and the FBI Dallas Field Office are scheduled to provide more details during a joint news conference on Wednesday, July 22.