Prosecutors say Alyssa Marie Lira, 23, is charged with murder in the death of Enrique Gonzalez-Carbajal, 55.
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A 23-year-old Anaheim woman accused of decapitating her boyfriend and fleeing to Mexico was returned to Orange County after a five-month search and is now charged with murder, authorities said Thursday.
Prosecutors identified the suspect as Alyssa Marie Lira. Investigators said the body of her boyfriend, Enrique Gonzalez-Carbajal, 55, was found Aug. 25 inside Lira’s Anaheim home. Lira was taken into custody in Mexico on Jan. 22 and transferred to Orange County the next day after a handoff at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, according to officials. She is being held without bail ahead of a Feb. 13 arraignment. If convicted of one murder count and a sentencing enhancement for personally using a weapon, she faces 26 years to life in prison.
Anaheim detectives began the case with a welfare check that led to the discovery of Gonzalez-Carbajal’s decapitated body in a residence on the 1300 block of East La Palma Avenue, investigators said. Detectives and prosecutors later determined Lira left the country immediately after the killing. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said the FBI and Mexican authorities assisted in locating Lira in Mexico. “Nothing, not time, not distance, nor foreign borders, will thwart our pursuit of justice,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement praising the cross-border work.
Officials said the couple had been dating for about two months before the killing. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive, and investigators have not released details about the weapon believed to have been used. Prosecutors said Senior Deputy District Attorney Mark Birney of the Homicide Unit is assigned to the case. It was not immediately clear whether Lira had retained an attorney or entered a plea. After her return to the U.S., Lira was booked at the Anaheim Police Department Detention Facility and later moved to the Orange County Jail, where she remains without bail.
The case drew attention because of its brutality and the cross-border search. Anaheim police said they worked 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 over several months. The Los Angeles region has seen other high-profile arrests of suspects who fled south in recent years, and prosecutors said they rely on ongoing cooperation with Mexican law enforcement to return suspects to face charges. In this case, authorities emphasized the timing: the arrest in Mexico on Jan. 22 and the transfer at San Ysidro the next day.
Prosecutors filed one count of murder with a felony enhancement alleging personal use of a weapon. Arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 13 at the North Justice Center in Fullerton, courtroom N3. If the case moves forward, a preliminary hearing would be set to determine whether sufficient evidence exists for trial. Prosecutors said more information could be filed as forensic analysis and interviews continue. Officials said they would provide updates if additional charges are considered.
Neighbors near East La Palma Avenue said the police presence in late August stretched into the evening as detectives processed the scene. Some left flowers on the sidewalk in the days after the discovery and described the block as a mix of apartments and small businesses. “It shook a lot of people here,” one resident said in an interview this week, adding that detectives canvassed door to door after the welfare check. Police did not immediately release any additional witness accounts.
As of late Thursday, Lira remained in county custody without bail. The next scheduled milestone is her arraignment on Feb. 13, when a judge could consider future dates in the case.
Author note: Last updated January 30, 2026.