A murder investigation is ongoing after a body was discovered in a charred SUV in central Florida, which investigators strongly suspect is linked to an armed carjacking captured on video, authorities said.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office released video of what Sheriff Dennis Lemma described as an “incredibly frightening” and “bold” carjacking that took place Thursday evening at a junction in the Winter Springs region.
In the footage, a suspect wearing a “ninja-style” mask and equipped with what seems to be a 10 mm handgun exits a green Acura sedan, aims the weapon at the driver of a white Dodge Durango ahead of them, and then enters the back driver’s-side door, according to the sheriff’s office. According to Lemma, a driver in a vehicle behind the Acura took a cellphone video of what appeared to be a carjacking in action and reported it to the police.
Lemma reports that witnesses in Osceola County heard gunshots and smoke less than two hours later as a vehicle caught fire at a construction site.
The body retrieved from the vehicle has not been officially recognized, but it is thought to be that of the Dodge Durango’s driver, 31-year-old Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas of Homestead, Florida, according to the sheriff’s office. Although the fire severely damaged the vehicle, experts believe it to be a Durango, he stated. Lemma also reported finding twelve shot casings and one projectile at the scene.
According to the sheriff, authorities are searching for the green Acura and should treat its occupants as armed and dangerous. A second suspect in the Acura followed the Durango after it left the intersection where the carjacking happened, though the Acura’s current whereabouts are unknown, Lemma said.
According to Lemma, investigators believe Altagracia Guerrero de Aguasvivas was targeted, although they are unsure why.
“There is no clear indicator why somebody would do this,” Lemma said during a news briefing on Friday.
Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas called her husband moments before halting at the junction, telling him that the Acura was following her and colliding with her SUV, according to Lemma. According to the sheriff, her spouse urged her to stay in the car and drive.
He said investigators believe the armed suspect compelled her to drive to the construction site and was familiar with the location.
“This was not a random act of violence; the perpetrators knew exactly who they were going after,” Lemma said in a statement. “Why they’re going after them is something that is part of our ongoing, continuous investigation.”
According to Lemma, authorities do not know where Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas was traveling. The victim’s husband informed authorities she was visiting family, but investigators have yet to locate any relatives in central Florida, according to the sheriff.
“There’s a lot of things here that are unclear,” Lemma added. “It’s a big mystery.”
Lemma asked anyone with information on the Acura, which has a partially disguised license plate, to contact the sheriff’s office.
“This is a tragic incident,” he explained. “A horrible, frightening situation.”
