Updated
Updated · FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth · Jul 23
Mayra Velasquez Arrested in 2012 Arlington Murder After 14-Year Genetic Genealogy Break
Updated
Updated · FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth · Jul 23

Mayra Velasquez Arrested in 2012 Arlington Murder After 14-Year Genetic Genealogy Break

3 articles · Updated · FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth · Jul 23

Summary

  • July 16 records show DFW real estate agent Mayra Velasquez was arrested and held without bond on a capital murder charge in the 2012 killing of 32-year-old Irasema Chavez.
  • Arlington police and the FBI said a major break came after they brought the case into the FBI's investigative genetic genealogy program in November 2024, leading detectives to an arrest in early 2026.
  • Chavez was found dead in her Arlington apartment on Jan. 20, 2012, after being stabbed about 100 times; surveillance footage and a Parabon composite profile had failed to identify a suspect.
  • Police have not disclosed the exact breakthrough or a motive, and the two agencies plan a joint July 22 press conference to outline the 14-year-old cold case.

Insights

A real estate agent is accused in a 14-year-old murder. How did a DNA sample finally unravel her seemingly normal life?
Police use public DNA sites to find killers. But does this powerful tool cross a critical line in personal privacy?