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Suspects in murder of Seattle woman arrested after fleeing the country, authorities say

The two women, Lisa Dykes and Nina Marano, are accused of fatally stabbing Marisela Botello-Valadez, 23, while she was visiting Dallas.

DALLAS — Note: The video above is from a report on Jan. 6, 2022.

Two suspects who are accused of murdering a Seattle woman in Dallas in 2020 have been taken into custody after they fled the country following their previous arrest, multiple law enforcement sources told WFAA.

According to multiple sources, Lisa Dykes, 58, and Nina Marano, 50, were arrested in Cambodia by the FBI this week. Dallas police confirmed the arrests but did not release further details.

Dykes and Marano were both charged with murder and tampering with evidence in the October 2020 fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Marisela Botello-Valadez, who had been reported missing in Dallas.

Credit: Dallas County
Mugshots of Dykes (left) and Marano.

Dykes and Marano were previously arrested in Florida after investigators found traces of Botello-Valadez's blood inside a home that Dykes and another suspect, Charles Beltran, shared in Mesquite. The three suspects were allegedly with the victim on the night she disappeared, according to phone records.

In May 2021, Dykes and Marano were released from jail after posting their $500,000 bond. The conditions of their release included house arrest and wearing ankle monitors at all times.

However, court documents revealed that the pair had removed their ankle monitors on Dec. 25, 2021 and skipped their bond.

Multiple law enforcement sources told WFAA that the two suspects were arrested this week by the FBI and Cambodian authorities. Sources said they will be extradited to the U.S. to stand trial.

Botello-Valadez's death happened after she flew to Dallas from Seattle to visit her ex-boyfriend. She was reported missing on Oct. 5, 2020, in the Deep Ellum area after she went out alone that evening.

Her remains were found in March 2021 in a wooded area in Wilmer, Texas, about 15 miles south of Dallas.

The third suspect, 32-year-old Beltran, had also been arrested and charged with murder. He remains jailed on a $500,000 bond.

Botello-Valadez's aunt, Dennesly Castillo, told WFAA in January that she was furious about Dykes and Marano being free on bond and being able to flee from authorities after cutting their ankle monitors.

"It's definitely not been easy -- that's for sure," Castillo said. "It's completely frustrating -- we were expecting this after they posted bond, and here we are now."

"They got to spend the holidays together, I assume, in the comfort of their house instead of being locked away," Castillo added. "We don't have that option. We don't have the option to ever be able to sit there with Marisela again and celebrate or be out and about."

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