Authorities say a San Ysidro border handoff brought an Anaheim murder suspect back from Mexico.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — After five months on the run, a 23-year-old woman accused of decapitating her boyfriend was arrested in Mexico and transferred to Orange County to face a murder charge, investigators said Thursday.
Officials identified the suspect as Alyssa Marie Lira of Anaheim. The victim, 55-year-old Enrique Gonzalez-Carbajal, was found Aug. 25 in Lira’s home during a welfare check, investigators said. Authorities believe Lira fled to Mexico shortly after the killing. She was taken into custody there on Jan. 22 and handed over to Anaheim detectives at the San Ysidro Port of Entry the next day. She is being held at the Orange County Jail without bail and is due in court for arraignment on Feb. 13.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office charged Lira with one count of murder and alleged she personally used a weapon in the crime, an enhancement that increases potential punishment. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison. District Attorney Todd Spitzer commended the joint investigation with the FBI and Mexican authorities, saying the case shows local and federal agencies will “go to the very ends of the earth” to return suspects to face charges. Senior Deputy District Attorney Mark Birney is assigned to prosecute.
Detectives said Gonzalez-Carbajal and Lira had been dating for about two months before his death. Investigators have not publicly disclosed a motive, and they have not released details about the weapon believed to have been used. Police said the body was found in a residence on the 1300 block of East La Palma Avenue, a corridor lined with apartment buildings and small commercial spaces just north of the 91 Freeway. The discovery led to a homicide investigation that continued through the fall and into winter.
The cross-border search unfolded in coordination with the Orange County District Attorney’s Organized Crime Unit, the FBI’s Orange County Resident Agency and Assistant Legal Attachés in Mexico, and Mexican authorities. The arrest and return over Jan. 22–23 followed weeks of interviews and records checks, according to officials. In similar cases in Southern California, extradition or removal from Mexico has relied on formal requests and on-the-ground cooperation; authorities said this case followed that pattern, culminating in the transfer at San Ysidro.
Residents along East La Palma Avenue recalled police canvassing apartments and taping off a section of the block on the night of Aug. 25 as homicide detectives processed the scene. Some neighbors described the area as generally quiet but said the investigation stretched for hours. “It was shocking,” a resident said, noting detectives returned in the following days for follow-up interviews. Police did not release additional witness statements Thursday.
As of Thursday evening, Lira remained jailed without bail. The next scheduled step is arraignment on Feb. 13 at the North Justice Center in Fullerton, where a judge could set a preliminary hearing date and address any defense motions.
Author note: Last updated January 30, 2026.