Nearly half a year after a violent killing shocked an Anaheim neighborhood, a 23-year-old stripper accused of murdering her boyfriend is back in the United States and now facing formal charges.
Prosecutors say Alyssa Marie Lira is accused of being responsible for the death of Enrique Gonzalez-Carbajal, whose headless body was discovered inside Lira’s apartment on La Palma Avenue on August 25, 2025.
Per KTLA, Gonzalez-Carbajal was 55.
Police were called to the apartment that morning and quickly realized they were dealing with a homicide. As detectives began piecing together what happened, they learned Lira and Gonzalez-Carbajal had been romantically involved for only about two months.
Authorities say the couple met while Lira was working as a stripper at a local strip club.
Not long after the killing, investigators determined Lira had left the country. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, homicide detectives identified her as a suspect early on and concluded she had fled to Mexico almost immediately after the attack.
What followed was a months-long international search involving Anaheim police, federal agents, and Mexican officials. That search ended on January 22, when Lira was taken into custody in Mexico. Authorities have not revealed where she was located.
She was transferred to U.S. custody the next day, at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and brought back to Orange County to face charges.
Lira is charged with one felony count of murder, along with an enhancement alleging she personally used a weapon during the crime. She is currently being held without bail at the Orange County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned on February 13.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer emphasized the persistence behind the investigation in a statement released after Lira’s return.
“Nothing — not time, not distance, nor foreign borders — will thwart our pursuit of justice,” Spitzer said. He also credited the case to the cooperation across agencies, calling it proof of the “tenacity and dedication” required to track down suspects who flee the country.
Officials have not publicly shared a motive for the alleged killing.