Bride found dead in bathtub; police hunting Maserati-driving groom
Just hours after saying “I do,” Estrella Carrera was found stabbed to death in her Chicago-area bathtub, still wearing the glittery, sequined dress she wore at her cocktail reception.
A manhunt is now underway for her husband, Arnoldo Jimenez, 30, who is believed to have fled the scene in his black 2006 Maserati. A first-degree murder warrant has been issued in his name, according to the Burbank Police Department in Illinois. He is six feet tall, weighing 220 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
“The search is not only being conducted here in Chicago and Illinois, but thanks to the media we can get our message throughout the United States and also other countries,” Burbank Police Capt. Joseph G. Ford told the Los Angeles Times about the search for Jimenez. “We are working with several police agencies throughout Illinois, including the FBI, and also pushing the Jimenez info out beyond Illinois to other police agencies as the tips come in.”
How one of life’s most joyous events ended up in the bride’s death has captivated the media, with many now referring to Carrera as the “bathtub bride.” Friends and family, meanwhile, are still reeling over the news. Carrera leaves behind two children, ages 2 and 8.
Carrera’s cousin Sandy Lopez told the Chicago Tribune she still cannot understand the turn of events. “She was a lovely human being, caring,” she said. “No idea why somebody would do this to her.”
Lopez also said that Jimenez -- the father of Carrera’s youngest child -- was someone who had “problems.” There appeared to be signs Carrera knew that some of her relatives disapproved of the couple’s on-again, off-again relationship. For example, Carrera called Lopez on Friday to invite her to a party, but never mentioned that the “party” was actually her wedding celebration.
The couple were married Friday night at Chicago’s City Hall, and then friends and relatives headed to a restaurant for a celebratory dinner. From there, the revelers piled onto a party bus to take them to the cocktail reception, according to the Burbank Police Department.
“Jimenez and Carrera were last seen by friends and family at approximately 4 a.m. Saturday, May 12, 2012, as they exited a rented party limo and proceeded home,” according to police.
Relatives began to suspect something was amiss the following day, when Carrera failed to pick up her children from the home of a relative who was taking care of them. Family members tried repeatedly to reach the bride and groom by phone, but without success.
Finally, someone called the police. Officers found Carrera’s body at 4:30 p.m. in the bathtub. “The victim was found wearing a silver sequin cocktail dress, which has been identified as the same dress she wore during the reception celebration late Friday night into early Saturday morning,” police said.
Jimenez remains the key suspect, according to police, who noted that there were no signs of forced entry at the apartment where the body was found.
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