Suspect in Lesly Palacio murder case arrested in Mexico

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Mexican authorities have arrested the man wanted in connection with the 2020 killing of Lesly Palacio.

Erick Rangel-Ibarra will remain in custody pending a decision on his extradition to the United States, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Tuesday morning.

News of Rangel-Ibarra’s arrest comes nearly four years after Palacios disappeared on August 9, 2020. Police issued an arrest warrant for Rangel-Ibarra on premeditated murder charges, but he managed to evade authorities.

A month after she was last seen, Palacios’ body was found in the desert near Valley of Fire State Park.

Rangel-Ibarra’s father, Jose Rangel, was sentenced to two years in prison in 2021 for helping his son after Palacios’ death.