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Husband charged with murder after doorbell camera footage shows something being dragged away

Angeles National Forest sign overlooking hills and grass.
The remains of 33-year-old Sheylla Cabrera were found by the Montrose Search and Rescue Team in the Angeles National Forest.
(Tim Berger/TCN)

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A husband accused of killing his wife then dumping her body in the Angeles National Forest before fleeing the country with their children has been officially charged with murder, paving the way for his arrest and possible extradition back to the United States.

Here’s what we know so far:

What do we know about the investigation?

Jossimar Cabrera, 36, who investigators believe fled to Peru after the death of his wife, Sheylla Cabrera, was charged with one count of murder, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Prosecutors have filed an extradition arrest warrant for Cabrera and a court date is expected to be scheduled.

The remains of 33-year-old Sheylla Cabrera, also known as Sheylla Lisbet Gutiérrez Rosillo, were found Saturday by the Montrose Search and Rescue Team, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

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What do we know about the death?

On Aug. 12, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lancaster Station took a missing persons report on Sheylla, officials said. The next day, authorities found video surveillance of Jossimar Cabrera allegedly dragging a large object from the apartment complex in the 500 block of Lancaster Boulevard, where the couple lived with their three young sons.

Officials suspected foul play and homicide investigators began conducting their investigation, according to authorities. The couple’s three children were also entered into the missing persons system.

On Aug. 16 in the Angeles National Forest, authorities found Sheylla’s body wrapped in material that appeared similar to what was seen being dragged in the video, though the department didn’t specify what the material was. A cause of death has not yet been established and is being investigated by the L.A. County medical examiner’s office, authorities said.

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What about the husband?

Jossimar Cabrera allegedly fled the country with the couple’s three children, the Sheriff’s Department said. On Aug. 16, the children were found safe and taken into protective custody in Peru.

Cabrera was detained twice after leaving the country — once in Mexico and once in Peru — but was released because he hadn’t yet been charged with a crime, according to Lt. Michael Modica, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

What else do we know about the couple’s background?

The Cabreras are originally from Peru and immigrated to the U.S. in search of a better life, according to Peruvian news outlet Latina Noticias.

Helga Rocillo, Sheylla Cabrera’s mother, told the publication that Sheylla is a victim of domestic violence and that Jossimar abused her physically and verbally. Rocillo also said that Jossimar told her that his wife had been taken by U.S. immigration authorities.

Rocillo told the outlet that she spoke with her daughter on a video call a few days before she was reported missing. Sheylla told her that she was going to report her husband for domestic violence.

“She told me that Jossimar Cabrera Cornejo hit her, mistreated her, and even slapped my youngest grandchild, who is 3 years old,” Rocillo said. “I called my daughter, but she didn’t answer. I spoke to Jossimar on Sunday, and he told me that immigration had taken my daughter.”

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