Mods: If there's a more suitable forum for this, please feel free move. Thanks!
Lopez murder gets national spotlight-- Family, friends gather to watch Americas Most Wanted segment
Sandra and Manuel Lopez watch the Americas Most Wanted segment on the murder of their daughter, Alexia.
By ARTHUR HAHN/Managing Editor
Published: Monday, September 14, 2009 1:58 PM CDT
Sandra and Manuel Lopez sat quietly and held hands as the first segment of the season premiere of Americas Most Wanted began airing Saturday night.
But when the first images of their daughter Alexia appeared on the television, the tears came.
The Lopezes and dozens of family members and friends gathered to view AMWs 15-minute segment on Alexia, 2 1/2, who authorities say was struck so hard in March 2008 in her stomach that her large intestines had separated from her small intestines.
She died in Trinity Medical Center.
They watched quietly as the drama unfolded, some in the audience dabbling at tears with tissues.
Her former caregiver, Berny Mayel Figueroa, was charged with murder in the case but fled before she could be taken into custody.
Figueroa, originally from Honduras, was legally in the United States and may have fled to Mexico, trying to return to her native country, authorities have speculated.
Saturdays AMW segment included a reenactment of those painful events, including a grief-stricken, angry Manuel Lopez leading local authorities on a high-speed chase soon after his daughters death, and interviews with Sandra Lopez and Brenham Police Detective Lloyd Powell, who has led the investigation on the case.
<snipped>
==============
Victim: 2-year-old Alexia Lopez
Alexia and her tireless advocate - her mother, Sandra Lopez
Manuel Lopez, Alexia's father is devastated by his little girl's death. In this picture, he is with his now 6-year-old daughter Gabby and Alexia.
The fugitive suspect charged with Alexia's death - Berny Mayel Figueroa
Cops say Figueroa may have lost weight while on the run. They believe she may look more like how she looked in 2003, when this picture was taken. Her hair may be shorter and/or blond.
Berny Figueroa has this tattoo of a dolphin jumping out of the water on her lower back.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/video_photos.cfm?id=64350
Additional info on the AMW site:
Profile
Aliases Berny Vasquez, Mayel Vasquez
Sex Female
Race Hispanic
Age Now 31
Height 5'5"
Weight 110-130 lbs.
# Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair) Black
# Medium length straight hair, but may have cut it
# May dye her hair blonde
# May have lost a lot of weight
# Eyes (Color and Correction) Brown
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=64350