Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, 19, has been arrested and charged in connection with the killing of 42-year-old Carmen Lizet Puch in Great Falls, Virginia, Fairfax County police said. Puch was found dead Monday in a parking area near Great Falls trails with multiple stab wounds.

Police said Cedillos-Campos and Puch worked together at a restaurant and were also involved in an intimate relationship. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said investigators have video showing Cedillos-Campos leaving the restaurant with a fixed-blade knife, black latex gloves and a water bottle.

The Department of Homeland Security said Cedillos-Campos is an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador. The agency said he was arrested by Customs and Border Protection in 2024 after illegally crossing the border near El Paso, Texas.

According to Fairfax County police, Cedillos-Campos left the restaurant in the early hours of Monday carrying a large fixed-blade knife, latex gloves and a water bottle. Investigators allege he emptied the bottle and filled it with gasoline siphoned from his motorcycle before he and Puch went to Difficult Run Park.

Police allege Cedillos-Campos repeatedly stabbed Puch, poured gasoline on her and unsuccessfully attempted to set her on fire. Investigators said he later offered a full confession during an interview with homicide detectives.

Officers from the McLean District Station responded to Difficult Run Park at about 6:43 AM. Monday after a person arriving for a morning run found Puch dead in a parking area in the 8800 block of Georgetown Pike. She was found beside her dark red 2011 Honda Civic.

Police said Puch was the mother of a 3-year-old girl.

Detectives identified Cedillos-Campos within 48 hours of Puch’s death. He was taken into custody in Maryland on a second-degree murder charge with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and Prince George’s County police.

The case remains under investigation, while police continue to detail the events surrounding Puch’s death.