Anna Marlene Somoza, 60, faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of Crystal Reyes. The U.S. Marshals Service said Mexican Attorney General’s Office and Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection agents detained her. Authorities are coordinating her return to the United States; no timeline has been announced.

Reyes’ remains were found by a hunter on Nov. 30, 1998, in a remote area near Mobile, Arizona. They remained unidentified until DNA analysis in August 2014 established her identity. Investigators then located Reyes’ biological father, Darren Stockwell, and used a DNA sample from him to help confirm the identification.

A grand jury indicted Somoza and her boyfriend, Avelino Tamala, on first-degree murder charges in December 2014. Tamala was arrested, convicted of Reyes’ murder in 2016 and sentenced to life in prison. Somoza was believed to have fled to Mexico, prompting an international search.

Authorities obtained a provisional arrest warrant in October 2022 to support Somoza’s extradition. The Marshals Service designated the case a major investigation in 2026, adding resources to the search. In September, investigators developed information that she was evading authorities in Cernavaca, near Xochitepec, where she was detained.

U.S. Marshal Van Bayless said the case could now move forward and credited Phoenix police, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and partners in Mexico and the United States. U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said federal officials would work with Mexican authorities to bring Somoza back to Arizona to face the charge.