The Arlington, Texas Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Mayra Velásquez, 42, on July 17, accused of the murder of her friend Irasema Chávez. This crime occurred in January 2012 and remained unsolved for over 14 years until an innovative genetic genealogy technique allowed for the identification of the alleged perpetrator.
According to a report by , the progress in the investigation was made possible by the FBI's Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) program, a tool that combines DNA analysis found at crime scenes with genealogical research to identify possible relatives of the suspect and reconstruct their family tree.
The crime occurred on the morning of January 20, 2012, when a family member found Chávez, 32, unconscious and covered in blood in her apartment at 2700 South Collins Street, Arlington.
The autopsy revealed that the victim had received more than 100 stab wounds, a level of violence that shocked investigators from the outset of the case.
During the processing of the scene, the forensic experts located a small drop of fresh blood on the bedroom TV stand. Tests determined that it did not belong to the victim, but rather to an unidentified Hispanic woman.
That genetic profile was added to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), the national database used by law enforcement in the United States. However, for years there were no matches, and the investigation stalled.
The genetic genealogy broke the silence of the case
The case gained momentum again in November 2024, when detectives from the Arlington Police Department met with specialists from the FBI office in Dallas to assess whether the file met the criteria to be analyzed through the IGG program.
After months of work, in April 2026, the FBI informed investigators that it had identified Mayra Velásquez as the main suspect.
The confirmation arrived a month later through a discreet yet legal strategy. The agents monitored Velásquez while she was at a restaurant and collected various disposable utensils—two plastic forks, a plate, and a cup—that the woman left behind after finishing her meal.
The forensic analysis revealed that the DNA recovered from one of the forks matched the genetic profile found in Chávez's apartment 14 years earlier.
In the United States, this type of evidence, known as abandoned DNA, can be legally used by authorities when a person voluntarily discards items that contain their genetic material.
"That's why we do this work."
The chief of the Arlington Police, Alexander Jones, announced the arrest during a press conference and thanked the FBI for their collaboration.
"I am grateful to the FBI for their ongoing collaboration, and above all, I am pleased to inform Ms. Chávez's family that we have made an arrest in this case," he stated.
Velasquez, who worked as a real estate agent affiliated with Pure Realtors LLC in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, faces a charge of capital murder and remains detained without bail in the Tarrant County jail.
Detective Tracy Dixon, one of the investigators on the case, confessed that informing the family about the arrest was one of the most emotional moments of his career.
"Being able to share that with the family is the reason we do this work. Everyone involved in a research project like this feels that satisfaction when the case is resolved, but they also feel the pain that has accompanied the family throughout all these years," he expressed.
A tool that transforms criminal investigations
The special agent in charge of the FBI office in Dallas, Joseph Rothrock, explained that investigative genetic genealogy begins with an unknown DNA sample recovered from the crime scene, which is then compared to publicly accessible genealogical databases to identify potential biological relatives of the perpetrator.
Based on those matches, the researchers reconstruct family trees to identify the suspect.
The authorities have not revealed the possible motive for the murder.
The investigative genetic genealogy began to gain notoriety in 2018 following the capture of the so-called "Golden State Killer" in California. Since then, the FBI has employed this technology to help solve nearly 250 cases across 30 states, establishing it as one of the most effective tools for clarifying homicides and other crimes that had remained unanswered for years.
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