SHE SENT HIS GIRLFRIEND SCREENSHOTS OF THEIR AFFAIR — DAYS LATER, A VIRGINIA MOM WAS FOUND NEAR A HIKING TRAIL

A secret relationship. Screenshots sent to the wrong person. And then a meeting that police say ended in a horrifying act.

New details have emerged in the case of Carmen Lizet Puch, 42, a Virginia mother whose body was discovered near a hiking trail last month.

Authorities have charged Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, 19, with second-degree murder in connection with Puch’s death.

But investigators now believe the relationship between the two may have been at the center of what happened.

According to an arrest warrant cited by multiple news outlets, police allege Puch had sent screenshots of her relationship with Cedillos-Campos to his girlfriend.

A witness reportedly told investigators that Cedillos-Campos then planned to harm Puch.

And what happened next would lead detectives to a disturbing timeline.

THE SECRET RELATIONSHIP

Puch and Cedillos-Campos reportedly worked at the same restaurant and had an intimate relationship.

Police say the situation changed after Puch allegedly shared screenshots of their relationship with Cedillos-Campos’ girlfriend.

According to information contained in the arrest warrant, a witness told investigators that Cedillos-Campos had discussed a plan involving Puch.

The witness also allegedly overheard a phone conversation in which Cedillos-Campos arranged to meet her.

That meeting would later become a crucial part of the investigation.

THE MORNING OF THE TRAGEDY

Police say Cedillos-Campos left the restaurant where he and Puch worked early that morning.

Investigators allege he took several items with him, including a knife, gloves and a water bottle.

According to police, surveillance footage captured him leaving with those items.

Authorities further allege that the bottle was emptied and used to siphon gasoline from his motorcycle.

Investigators say he then traveled toward Difficult Run Park in Great Falls, Virginia, the location where Puch was later found.

A WITNESS THEN MADE A CALL TO POLICE

The arrest warrant contains another key allegation.

Police say the witness later received a phone call from Cedillos-Campos.

According to the warrant, he allegedly indicated that he had carried out what he had planned before ending the call.

The witness then contacted authorities.

That information, combined with surveillance footage and other evidence, became part of the case against the 19-year-old suspect.

FOUND NEAR HER CAR

Later that morning, Puch was found unconscious near her vehicle in the parking area of Difficult Run Park.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said investigators believe she was repeatedly stabbed.

Police also allege that gasoline was poured on her body and that an attempt was made to set her on fire, although it was unsuccessful.

The case quickly became a homicide investigation.

Puch was later identified as a 42-year-old mother who left behind a 3-year-old daughter.

Chief Davis described her publicly as a loving mother.

POLICE SAY THE SUSPECT CONFESSED

Perhaps the most significant development came during the investigation itself.

Police Chief Davis previously told reporters that Cedillos-Campos was “fully confessing” to detectives.

However, it remains unclear whether the teenager has entered a plea in court or whether he has retained an attorney who has publicly commented on the allegations.

He is currently facing a second-degree murder charge.

A CASE BUILT AROUND A SECRET THAT DIDN’T STAY SECRET

Investigators are still working to establish the complete sequence of events leading up to Puch’s death.

But the allegations outlined in the arrest warrant paint a disturbing picture:

A hidden relationship.

Screenshots allegedly sent to the suspect’s girlfriend.

A planned meeting.

Surveillance footage showing the suspect leaving work with items police say were connected to the crime.

And a witness who allegedly contacted authorities after receiving a phone call from the suspect.

Each detail has become another piece of a case that began with a Virginia mother being discovered near a hiking trail.

For Puch’s family, however, the case is about much more than the evidence being gathered by investigators.

It is about a 42-year-old mother who will not return home to her young daughter.

And as the legal case moves forward, the allegations against Cedillos-Campos will ultimately have to be tested in court.

He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.