A mother was found stabbed to death on a running trail near Washington, D.C., leading to the arrest of a 19-year-old, Alexis Antonio Cedillos Campos, who is suspected of her murder. The victim, Carmen Lizette Puch, 42, was discovered in Great Falls Park, Virginia, early on Monday morning, as reported by the Fairfax County Police Department.
Cedillos-Campos, identified as an illegal immigrant from El Pador, had reportedly been arrested and then released while crossing the border in El Paso, Texas, back in April 2024.
A jogger discovered Puch’s body in a small gravel parking area by her vehicle and promptly notified the authorities. When police responded, Puch was declared dead on the scene. Friends and acquaintances described her as a quiet, hardworking individual and a mother to one daughter.
The events surrounding the arrest have drawn increased scrutiny to Fairfax County, which is under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) due to a rise in violent crime involving undocumented immigrant suspects. This DOJ probe is examining whether the local Commonwealth Attorney’s office, led by Steve Descano, is unfairly favoring illegal immigrant defendants while potentially neglecting the rights of American citizens.
Allegations against Descano suggest that his policies—allowing for the release and plea deals for many undocumented criminals—have led to serious systemic issues. In fact, reports from earlier this year indicated that a significant portion, around three-quarters, of murder suspects in the county for 2026 were undocumented immigrants, including tragic cases like that of a 3-month-old girl reportedly killed by her father, also an illegal immigrant.
Descano’s office has dismissed the allegations, asserting that the investigation is politically motivated. Moreover, a review of local records indicated that Cedillos-Campos had not previously been detained by county authorities. Efforts to obtain comments from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Fairfax County Police Department have not yielded responses.
