Authorities have charged a Florida man with first-degree murder after the body of his girlfriend, Carmen Elsa Escalante Carrera, was discovered dismembered in a suitcase in Georgia.
The remains were found on October 31, just days after the 29-year-old woman went missing, and her boyfriend, Jorge Javier Quintero, 41, has been arrested in connection with her death.
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The investigation began on October 29 when Quintero sent “concerning” text messages to a friend, prompting a visit to his Orlando, Florida, apartment.
Upon arrival, the friend found a bathtub covered in blood, a bloody knife, and what appeared to be suicide notes.
Authorities responded and discovered bloody clothes, towels, and bloodstains in the apartment, but neither Quintero nor Carrera was at the scene.
On October 31, U.S. Marshals tracked down Quintero in Saraland, Alabama, where he was involved in a shootout with officers and was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
That same day, a gruesome discovery was made in Georgia—a suitcase containing Carrera’s dismembered body, with a power cord around her neck and rosary beads placed nearby.
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An autopsy later confirmed that she died from ligature strangulation.
Quintero was arrested on November 25 and charged with first-degree murder, as well as fraudulent use of personal identification information.
Carrera, a teacher by profession, is remembered by her loved ones for her warmth and compassion. Her tragic death has left the community devastated.
