A North Texas woman who spent nearly three decades evading justice following the death of her young daughter has finally been taken into custody south of the border, Tarrant County prosecutors confirmed.
Maria Narez, 48, was apprehended in Mexico on Saturday August 8 2026, bringing a long-running fugitive case to a dramatic close. The arrest comes more than 25 years after she was formally charged in connection with one of the most haunting child death cases in Tarrant County history.
Narez was indicted in 1999 on a charge of capital murder in the 1996 death of her three-year-old daughter Kassandra White. The child’s death prompted a criminal investigation that ultimately led to the grand jury indictment against the girl’s own mother.
Before prosecutors could bring the case to trial, Narez disappeared. Authorities believe she crossed into Mexico and managed to remain hidden from law enforcement for decades, making her one of Tarrant County’s longest-running fugitives in a capital murder case.
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the arrest and indicated that efforts to bring Narez back to face trial in Texas are now underway. Extradition proceedings in cases involving Mexico can be lengthy and complex, particularly in capital cases where the death penalty may be sought.
Kassandra White was only three years old when she died in 1996. Her case remained open and active even as years turned into decades, a testament to the persistence of investigators and prosecutors who refused to let the case go cold despite the challenges of tracking a fugitive across an international border.
Capital murder charges in Texas carry the most severe penalties under state law including the possibility of a death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole. The weight of those potential consequences likely played a role in Narez’s decision to flee before her case could be heard in court.
Child death cases carry a particular weight in the criminal justice system and among the public. The death of Kassandra White at such a young age and the subsequent disappearance of her mother left a wound in the community that has remained open for nearly 30 years.
Authorities have not yet released details about the specific circumstances that led to Narez’s location and arrest in Mexico or which agencies were involved in coordinating the operation. Additional details about extradition timelines and next legal steps are expected to be released by the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office in the coming days.
