Cartel-linked mom wanted for child's 1997 murder caught in Mexico
Summary
A woman named Anna Marlene Somoza, linked to drug cartels, was arrested in Mexico for the 1997 murder of her daughter in Arizona. After a long investigation and years on the run, authorities confirmed the victim's identity through DNA and are working to bring Somoza back to face charges.Key Facts
- Anna Marlene Somoza was connected to major drug trafficking near the Arizona border.
- She acted as a confidential informant for Arizona law enforcement after a 1993 arrest for marijuana offenses.
- Somoza’s daughter, Crystal Reyes, was born in 1993 and lived in Arizona where she suffered severe abuse.
- Crystal Reyes died in 1997 by suffocation inside a sealed cardboard box.
- Human bone fragments found in 1998 were identified years later as Crystal's through DNA testing.
- Somoza and her boyfriend, detective Avelino Tamala, were charged with first-degree murder; Tamala received a life sentence in 2016.
- Somoza fled to Mexico and avoided capture for years due to cartel connections.
- She was arrested in Mexico in September 2026, and efforts to extradite her to Arizona are ongoing.
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