SHE EXPOSED THEIR SECRET AFFAIR TO HIS GIRLFRIEND — HOURS LATER, A 42-YEAR-OLD MOM WAS FOUND BESIDE HER CAR

A secret relationship. A furious confrontation. A chilling 4 a.m. phone call. And a young mother who would never make it home.

What initially looked like a horrifying killing in a quiet Virginia park has now taken a deeply disturbing turn, after investigators revealed an alleged affair between the victim and the man accused of taking her life.

Carmen Lizet Puch, 42, was a mother to a three-year-old daughter and worked alongside 19-year-old Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos at a halal restaurant in Herndon, Virginia.

Police say the two had an intimate relationship.

But according to prosecutors, everything changed after Carmen allegedly sent screenshots of their relationship to Cedillos-Campos’ girlfriend.

Hours later, investigators say, Carmen was found next to her car in a Great Falls park.

Now prosecutors say a co-worker has provided investigators with a chilling account of what allegedly happened in the hours before Carmen’s final moments.

THE SECRET THAT ALLEGEDLY EXPLODED

According to prosecutors, Carmen and Cedillos-Campos had been involved in an intimate relationship after meeting through their work at Bitez, a halal restaurant in Herndon.

But the relationship allegedly became a problem when Carmen sent screenshots of their conversations to the younger man’s girlfriend.

A co-worker later told police that Cedillos-Campos became angry and allegedly expressed a desire to harm Carmen.

The witness’s account would become one of the most important pieces of information in the investigation.

Because investigators say the confrontation was not simply spontaneous.

They say there were signs that Cedillos-Campos was preparing for something.

THE NIGHT BEFORE EVERYTHING CHANGED

On August 17, investigators say Cedillos-Campos was captured on surveillance video inside the restaurant.

According to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis, the footage showed the teenager taking a fixed-blade knife, black latex gloves and a bottle of water before leaving.

Police say the sequence of events was highly significant.

The items, investigators believe, suggested that he may have been preparing to confront Carmen.

Authorities have described the suspected plan as deliberate and premeditated.

But the most chilling detail allegedly came hours later.

THE 1:30 A.M. PHONE CALL

Around 1:30 a.m., the co-worker told investigators that they overheard Cedillos-Campos on the phone arranging to meet Carmen.

The meeting allegedly took place during the early morning hours.

Then, around 4 a.m., investigators say the same co-worker received a phone call from Cedillos-Campos.

The witness told police that he allegedly said he had “done it” before abruptly ending the call.

According to the criminal complaint, the witness interpreted those words as an admission that Carmen had been killed.

At that point, however, police still had to find Carmen.

They would soon receive a call that changed the investigation.

A JOGGER DISCOVERS THE HORRIFYING SCENE

At approximately 6:45 a.m., a jogger in Difficult Run Park in Great Falls came across Carmen’s body beside her 2011 Honda Civic.

Police were called immediately.

Investigators say Carmen had suffered numerous stab wounds.

Her death was treated as a homicide investigation, and detectives quickly began reconstructing the hours leading up to the discovery.

The location was significant.

Carmen had apparently driven to the park during the overnight hours.

And investigators now had to determine exactly why she had gone there — and what happened after she arrived.

Great Falls became the center of the investigation.

POLICE SAY THE SUSPECT’S MOVEMENTS WERE CAPTURED ON CAMERA

Investigators say surveillance footage from the restaurant provided another critical clue.

According to Chief Davis, video allegedly showed Cedillos-Campos taking the knife and other items before leaving.

Police also believe he obtained gasoline by siphoning fuel from a motorcycle.

The fuel was allegedly placed into the water bottle.

Investigators believe he may have intended to use the gasoline in an attempt to set Carmen’s body on fire.

That alleged attempt failed.

For detectives, the combination of surveillance footage, witness statements and the phone call created a disturbing timeline.

Prosecutors now argue that the evidence points toward preparation rather than an unexpected confrontation.

THE SUSPECT DISAPPEARS

After Carmen was discovered, investigators began searching for Cedillos-Campos.

The 19-year-old was eventually located in Prince George’s County on August 19, two days after the alleged incident.

Police say he attempted to flee when officers approached him.

He was taken into custody.

Cedillos-Campos has been charged with second-degree murder and remains held without bond.

His next court appearance is scheduled for November 30, according to court records.

The charges are allegations, and Cedillos-Campos is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

CARMEN WAS A MOTHER FIRST

Amid the disturbing details of the investigation, officials have emphasized another part of the story.

Carmen was a mother.

She leaves behind a three-year-old daughter, who is now being cared for by family members.

Friends and people who knew her have remembered her as a loving mother whose life was suddenly taken away.

The investigation has therefore become more than a criminal case.

It has left a young child growing up without the mother who was supposed to be there for her.

THE RESTAURANT WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Bitez, the restaurant where Carmen and Cedillos-Campos worked, has also been left shaken.

Owner Abdul Anwari told NBC Washington that the tragedy was difficult to process.

For employees, the case was especially unsettling because the people involved had worked side by side.

What happened outside the workplace allegedly began with a private relationship.

But investigators say that relationship ultimately became central to a case now being prosecuted as second-degree murder.

AN IMMIGRATION HISTORY NOW UNDER SCRUTINY

Cedillos-Campos is originally from El Salvador.

According to authorities, he crossed into the United States illegally near El Paso, Texas, in April 2024.

He was detained by U.S. Border Patrol and later released from custody.

His immigration history has since become part of the political debate surrounding the case.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies in comments following the arrest.

But Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis made a point of separating that issue from the homicide investigation.

He said Cedillos-Campos’ immigration status played no role in how investigators conducted the case.

A CASE BUILT AROUND A DISTURBING TIMELINE

Investigators are now piecing together a sequence that begins with an alleged secret relationship and ends with a mother found beside her car.

According to the allegations:

Carmen allegedly exposed the relationship.

The suspect allegedly became enraged.

A knife, gloves and water bottle were allegedly taken from the restaurant.

A meeting was reportedly arranged around 1:30 a.m.

A co-worker allegedly received a chilling call around 4 a.m.

Carmen was discovered around 6:45 a.m.

And two days later, police arrested the man now facing a second-degree murder charge.

Each detail has become another piece of a case that prosecutors say points toward a deliberate act.

BUT THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS REMAIN

Why did Carmen agree to meet him in the middle of the night?

What exactly happened between the two at the park?

And what was the significance of the items investigators say were taken from the restaurant?

Those questions will likely become central as the case moves through court.

For now, prosecutors have presented an alleged timeline.

The defense will have an opportunity to challenge that evidence.

And a judge and jury will ultimately determine what can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

But for Carmen’s family, there is no courtroom argument that can change the most painful fact of all.

A three-year-old girl is now growing up without her mother.

And what began as a secret relationship has become a case involving an alleged plan, a terrifying early-morning call and a young mother whose life ended beside her car in a Virginia park.