#DC-0103
Mayra Velasquez
Charged · allegations
last updated 29 July 2026 · 3 sources
Confirmed facts
13
Open questions
4
Victim age
32
Charge
Capital murder
Case age
14 years
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Timeline of what's confirmed13 entries
20 January 2012
Irasema Chavez, 32, was found dead after family members checked on her at the Aspenwood Apartments on South Collins Street in Arlington.
CBS Texas, citing authorities
20 January 2012
Investigators found no signs of forced entry at Chavez's apartment.
CBS Texas, citing authorities
20 January 2012
DNA evidence did not match anyone in databases at the time, and witnesses provided limited information.
CBS Texas, citing Arlington police
2016
Arlington police provided Parabon NanoLabs with a DNA profile developed from blood found at the scene.
CBS Texas, citing Arlington police
2016
Parabon NanoLabs used the DNA profile to create a prediction of the person's physical appearance.
CBS Texas, citing Arlington police
November 2024
The Arlington Police Department homicide unit consulted the FBI Dallas Field Office about using investigative genetic genealogy in the case.
CBS Texas, citing Arlington police
November 2024
The FBI agreed to assist Arlington police through its investigative genetic genealogy program.
CBS Texas, citing Arlington police
April 2026
Investigative genetic genealogy work produced a significant lead that detectives used to develop further evidence.
CBS Texas, citing Arlington police
April 2026
Police did not disclose the nature of the new evidence, but CBS Texas reported it was sufficient to obtain an arrest warrant for Velasquez.
CBS Texas, citing Arlington police
May 2026
Detectives obtained a DNA sample from Velasquez's discarded trash and sent it to a crime lab for testing.
CBS Texas, citing Arlington police
May 2026
Detectives said the discarded-trash DNA sample matched a blood droplet recovered from a bedroom television stand in Chavez's home.
CBS Texas, citing Arlington police
22 July 2026
Mayra Velasquez, 42, was charged with capital murder in Chavez's killing and held in the Tarrant County Jail; the charge is an unproven allegation.
CBS Texas, citing Arlington police and Tarrant County Jail records
27 July 2026
Velasquez's attorney, Frank Sellers, was seeking a bond hearing and questioned the capital murder charge and surveillance-video evidence.
CBS Texas
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
What motive, if any, do investigators allege?unconfirmed; police said the motive remains unclear · unconfirmed
What evidence, beyond the DNA testing described by police, supported the arrest warrant?unconfirmed; police did not disclose the April 2026 evidence · unconfirmed
When will a bond hearing occur, and what conditions, if any, will a judge set?unconfirmed; defense was seeking a hearing · unconfirmed
What will prosecutors present to prove the capital murder allegation in court?unconfirmed; no trial evidence reported · unconfirmed
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