Police Say Man Is Confessing To Killing Reston Mother At Great Falls Park

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — A 19-year-old man taken into custody in connection with the killing of a Reston mother was giving homicide detectives a confession, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said Wednesday.

Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos was “offering a full confession for what transpired” during an interview with detectives, Davis said at an afternoon news conference. No charges against Cedillos-Campos had been filed or announced at the time of the briefing.

Police said Cedillos-Campos repeatedly stabbed 42-year-old Carmen Lizet Puch before pouring gasoline on her and trying unsuccessfully to set her on fire at Difficult Run Park in Great Falls.

Police Describe Evidence Of Planning

Cedillos-Campos and Puch worked together at a restaurant and had been involved in an intimate relationship, according to police. Investigators were continuing to examine the relationship and had not established a complete motive.

Police said restaurant surveillance video showed Cedillos-Campos taking a large fixed-blade knife, black latex gloves and a water bottle from the kitchen early Monday.

Cedillos-Campos then emptied the water bottle and filled it with gasoline siphoned from his motorcycle, according to police. Assistant Chief Rachel Levy said investigators believe he took the items before setting out to kill Puch.

Davis described the conduct as evidence of planning. Police said Cedillos-Campos and Puch intentionally arranged to meet at Difficult Run Park in the 8800 block of Georgetown Pike, although investigators had not determined why they selected that location.

Puch was stabbed numerous times while sitting in the driver’s seat of her 2011 Honda Civic, police said. Investigators believe Cedillos-Campos then poured gasoline on her and tried to ignite it.

A runner found Puch outside the vehicle and called 911. Officers from the McLean District Station responded at 6:43 a.m. Monday and pronounced her dead at the scene.

Puch was the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, Davis said. Members of her family traveled from outside Virginia to care for the child. Cedillos-Campos was not the child’s biological father, according to police.

Suspect Taken Into Custody In Maryland

Detectives identified Cedillos-Campos as a suspect within 48 hours by processing evidence from the park, reviewing digital information and surveillance recordings, and interviewing Puch’s relatives, friends and co-workers, police said.

Cedillos-Campos was taken into custody without incident Wednesday in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The Fairfax County Police Department’s Fugitive Squad worked with the U.S. Marshals Service and Prince George’s County police to locate him.

Police were also seeking a black sedan captured in grainy surveillance footage traveling on Georgetown Pike. Investigators said Cedillos-Campos might have used the vehicle to travel to or from the park, but they had not determined its role or ownership.

Davis said police had no evidence Wednesday afternoon that another person participated in the killing. Detectives were continuing to investigate that possibility and the sedan’s connection to the case.

Anyone with additional information may contact the Major Crimes Bureau through Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS or 866-411-8477. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the Fairfax County Crime Solvers website or the P3 Tips app.

Cedillos-Campos has not been charged. The allegations and police account have not been tested in court.

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