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A Massachusetts man has been charged with murder over the death of his neighbor who was last seen making the sign of the cross before entering his apartment. Her body was found in a local park several days later.
Cristian Montero, 35, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, is due to be arraigned Wednesday and was charged with murder following the disappearance of Carol Flaz-Burgos.
The 37-year-old was found dead in the Kenoza Lake Conservation Area last week after being reported missing on August 31.
According to the Essex County District Attorney’s office she was last seen on surveillance camera days earlier while entering Montero’s apartment in the building where she lived with her children and mother.
Flaz-Burgos had made "the sign of the cross when she entered," an assistant DA said, but was never seen exiting the apartment. Montero was arrested on September 3 by Lawrence Police. It’s unclear why she made the cross before enterin the apartment.
Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker said Montero had initially been charged with witness intimidation and misleading an investigation, but that the office was waiting on the results of an autopsy.
On Tuesday it was announced that the charge against Montero had been upgraded to murder.
Though Flaz-Burgos was not seen exiting Montero’s apartment, data from her cellphone showed it began moving away from the apartment building on Broadway at the same time Montero was seen leaving it.
According to NBC10, prosecutors said he had left "with a wagon, a beach cart, that appeared to be filled with clothes.”
Authorities have not specified what relationship Flaz-Burgos and Montero may have had.
The 35-year-old allegedly misled investigators about where he was in the time frame of Flaz-Burgos’ disappearance.
He claimed he had driven to a barbershop but did not go in because he was feeling sick, though city cameras did not show his parked vehicle and cellphone data allegedly showed him in a different location.
Montero is due to appear at Lawrence District Court at 2 p.m. Wednesday for a detention hearing. He is being held without bail.
“It is a tough day for the City of Lawrence,” said Lawrence Mayor Brian A DePeña, following the discovery of Flaz-Burgos’ body. “It is not easy for the family or the community, but we thank everyone for working together.”
