LANCASTER, CA – Authorities are searching for a man suspected of killing his wife and fleeing the country with their three sons after her body was discovered in a California national forest.
Sheylla Cabrera, 33, was reported missing on August 12, but investigators believe her husband, Jossimar Cabrera, 36, killed her days earlier. Surveillance footage from their apartment complex in the 500 block of Lancaster Boulevard captured a man, believed to be Jossimar, dragging a large, wrapped object through the building’s walkway around August 10.
Detectives reviewing the footage noted that Sheylla, her husband, and their three young children—a 9-year-old, a 6-year-old, and a 4-year-old—lived in the apartment complex. When deputies went to speak with Jossimar Cabrera during the investigation, they found both him and the children missing from the home.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department began treating the case as a possible homicide after discovering the circumstances of Sheylla Cabrera’s disappearance. Detectives soon learned Jossimar Cabrera had left the United States, prompting coordination with authorities in Mexico and Peru, the couple’s home country.
A break in the search came August 13, when additional evidence pointed authorities to the Angeles National Forest. Several search and rescue teams combed the area, and three days later, rescuers located an object resembling what was seen in the apartment surveillance. Investigators at the scene found Sheylla Cabrera’s body inside the material, confirming her death.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the official cause of death.
On the same day Sheylla’s remains were found, authorities in Peru informed Los Angeles officials that the couple’s three children had been located safely and placed in protective custody.
Despite these developments, as of Tuesday, Jossimar Cabrera had not been formally charged in the case. Peruvian officials were reportedly unable to keep him in custody without charges filed in the U.S. Footage shared online appeared to show the suspect being detained in Peru but later released.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said it has turned over the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, asking prosecutors to consider murder charges and begin the process of requesting his extradition to the United States.
Jossimar Cabrera remains the primary suspect and is believed to be in Peru. The investigation is ongoing with a focus on bringing him back to the U.S. to face possible charges.
According to Sheylla Cabrera’s mother, Sheylla had previously reported her husband for domestic violence while living in Peru and had mentioned plans to file a report in California. The timeline of the family’s move to the United States remains unclear.
Authorities noted that Jossimar Cabrera reportedly gave several conflicting accounts regarding his wife’s disappearance, alleging she was taken by immigration authorities, left with another man, or suffered an accident.
A memorial service for Sheylla Cabrera was held Tuesday at the apartment complex where she lived. The couple’s three children are reportedly staying in Peru with their maternal grandmother.