Liborio Canales, 85, was in Mexico for most of 2023. On July 17, 2023, he crossed the border to enter New Mexico, United States so he could celebrate his birthday with family.
Canales is accused of killing Barbara Fay Villarreal. On November 7, 1986, she was found dead in Garland, Texas, USA by Garland Police Department officers.
Villareal was repeatedly stabbed. A large kitchen knife was found near her body.
Police officers interviewed Villareal’s husband and he was cleared. No suspect was identified and the case went cold.
Deoxyribonucleic acid evidence recovered from the scene was entered into Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Over the years, investigators worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the investigation and tracked leads in the U.S. and Mexico.
Eventually, Canales was identified as a suspect. Investigators learned that he sometimes stayed at a home in Lovington, New Mexico.
On July 18, 2023, police officers from Lovington and Garland and FBI agents arrested Canales in Lovington without incident. He was booked into the Lea County Detention Center in Hobbs, New Mexico.
Bond for Canales was set at $1 million. He is expected to be extradited to Texas soon.
CONAN Daily 