PUEBLO, Colo. — A woman has been arrested for accessory to first-degree murder in connection to the 2019 homicide of a woman whose dismembered body was found in a suitcase in a dumpster.
On Thursday around 10:30 a.m., detectives with the Pueblo Police Department arrested Melanie Cuevas, 36, in Monte Vista. The charges come in connection to the homicide investigation of Maria Cuevas-Garcia.
Melanie Cuevas was booked into the Pueblo County jail, police said.
Her husband, Anthony Cuevas, 36, was previously arrested in the case and remains in jail on charges of first-degree murder. He was arrested on Oct. 18, 2019. Melanie Cuevas was also arrested that day on charges of criminal impersonation. At the time, police said additional charges were possible.
Pueblo police say they believe Maria Cuevas-Garcia, 58, was killed at a home located along the 800 block of Euclid Avenue in Pueblo on Oct. 17, 2019.
Her dismembered body was found inside a suitcase in a dumpster outside a car wash in Pueblo on Oct. 17, 2019 after officers received a call reporting a suspicious suitcase in a dumpster. Detectives found Garcia’s body, which was missing the head, both hands and both feet — inside the suitcase.
Investigators had surveillance footage that showed a driver pulling up next to a dumpster at 3906 Ivywood Lane and tossing a suitcase into it. The person then left the scene.
On the morning of Oct. 18, 2019, Pueblo police received multiple calls tipping them off to the couple as suspects. They were arrested shortly afterward.
On March 13, 2020, the Pueblo County Coroner's Office confirmed that remains found in a bag near the Arkansas River on March 10 were identified as belonging to Maria Cuevas.
Police told the Pueblo Chieftain that Maria Cuevas-Garcia was the mother of Anthony Garcia.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Det. Gravatt at 719-320-6022. To remain anonymous, contact Pueblo Crime Stoppers at 719-542-7867 or www.PuebloCrimeStoppers.com.