A 23-year-old Anaheim woman has been charged with murder after prosecutors say she decapitated her boyfriend of two months and left his headless body in her home before fleeing to Mexico. She was taken into custody Jan. 22 and transferred to Orange County the next day to face one count of murder with a weapon-use enhancement, officials said.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office identified the suspect as Alyssa Marie Lira and the victim as Enrique Gonzalez-Carbajal, 55, of Santa Ana. Detectives said Gonzalez-Carbajal was found Aug. 25, 2025, during a welfare check at a residence in Anaheim. For months, homicide investigators worked with the FBI and Mexican authorities to locate Lira. Prosecutors announced her return to Orange County this week and said an arraignment is set for Feb. 13. An official motive has not been released. The case has drawn regional attention for its brutality and for the cross-border effort that followed, underscoring how local agencies now lean on federal and international partners in fugitive searches.
Investigators said patrol officers were sent to the 1300 block of East La Palma Avenue around 2 p.m. on Aug. 25 after relatives and friends requested a welfare check. Inside the home, officers discovered Gonzalez-Carbajal’s body with signs of extreme violence consistent with decapitation. Detectives quickly identified Lira as a suspect and learned she had left the area shortly after the killing. Over the next several weeks, Anaheim homicide detectives coordinated with the district attorney’s Organized Crime Unit and the FBI’s Orange County Resident Agency to gather records, track communications and request assistance from Mexican counterparts. “Nothing — not time, not distance nor foreign borders — will thwart our pursuit of justice,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in announcing her capture.
Authorities described a months-long search that culminated with Lira’s arrest in Mexico on Jan. 22. Officials did not disclose the precise location or circumstances of the capture, citing ongoing investigative needs. On Jan. 23, agents transferred custody at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, where Anaheim homicide detectives took Lira back to Orange County Jail. She is being held without bail pending court proceedings. Prosecutors filed one felony count of murder and a felony enhancement alleging personal use of a weapon; if convicted on all counts, Lira faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison. It was not immediately clear whether she had retained an attorney to speak on her behalf.
According to brief summaries released by prosecutors and police, Lira and Gonzalez-Carbajal had been dating for about two months prior to the killing. Officials did not specify where or how the pair met, nor did they provide details about any prior calls for service at the home. Detectives said evidence recovered at the scene included physical indicators of a violent assault, though they have not publicly identified the specific weapon. The coroner’s office will determine the cause and manner of death; a full report typically includes autopsy findings, toxicology and injury documentation. Prosecutors said they are continuing to evaluate forensic results and digital records as they prepare the case for an Orange County grand jury or preliminary hearing.
Authorities emphasized that many facts remain under seal while the investigation continues. Officials did not release an itemized list of evidence or address whether the victim’s remains were fully recovered at the scene. Police also declined to discuss any statements made by the suspect during transport or booking. Neighbors told officers they had noticed police activity during late summer when the welfare check occurred but said they had not seen significant disturbances at the residence in the weeks before. Records list the home as a modest unit near commercial corridors, with frequent daytime foot traffic and surveillance cameras at nearby stores that detectives canvassed after the discovery.
Public filings outline the next steps. With a murder charge and a personal-use-of-a-weapon enhancement, prosecutors must establish probable cause that Lira unlawfully killed Gonzalez-Carbajal and personally used a weapon during the offense. At arraignment, scheduled for Feb. 13, a judge will address bail, set future dates and take a plea. If the case proceeds without an early resolution, a preliminary hearing would follow, at which prosecutors present witness testimony and exhibits to show probable cause. The court could then hold Lira to answer for trial. Timelines vary, but homicide cases in the county commonly take months to a year or more to reach a jury, depending on discovery volume, lab testing and legal motions.
Officials pointed to the multiagency work as central to the arrest. The Anaheim Police Department coordinated with the district attorney’s Organized Crime Unit, the FBI’s Orange County Resident Agency and FBI personnel based in Mexico. Mexican authorities assisted in locating and detaining Lira as part of cross-border cooperation channels that allow U.S. agencies to seek fugitives believed to be hiding abroad. After the handoff at San Ysidro, Orange County jailers processed Lira under a no-bail status, standard in many California murder cases. Prosecutors said they would share additional details in court filings rather than through news conferences to preserve the integrity of the case.
Gonzalez-Carbajal’s relatives were notified after the discovery in August and again this week when prosecutors announced the arrest. Family members have not made extended public statements, and officials said they are in contact with a designated next-of-kin representative. Community reaction in Anaheim included brief memorial notes near the address listed in public records and questions posted to neighborhood forums about the timeline of the investigation. Residents who live off East La Palma Avenue said police returned to the area several times in late summer and fall as detectives conducted follow-up interviews and searched for cameras that might have captured relevant footage around the time of the killing.
The district attorney’s office said it would not comment on potential motives while the case is active. Prosecutors did note that the relationship between Lira and Gonzalez-Carbajal was relatively new, and that investigators are reviewing communications between the two alongside location data and purchase histories to piece together a fuller chronology. Anaheim police said additional forensic testing is underway on materials recovered from the home. In court, defense counsel may later contest the sufficiency of probable cause, challenge the admissibility of certain statements, or seek independent testing of physical evidence before trial. Any plea offers, should they emerge, would be handled in the ordinary course in Superior Court.
As of Saturday, Lira remained in county custody ahead of her scheduled arraignment. Prosecutors said more information is expected to surface in charging documents and during initial hearings next month. For now, authorities describe the case as a homicide with “exceptional violence,” built on evidence found during the welfare check and on investigative steps taken across two countries over five months.
Author note: Last updated January 31, 2026.