Estrella Carrera, 26, was found stabbed to death in her apartment in Burbank, two days after her wedding. She was wearing the same dress she had on as she celebrated her marriage with her family on her wedding night. (Family Photo)
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Updated 05/14/12 – 4 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) — Police in the southwestern suburbs are investigating the stabbing death of a young newlywed, who was found dead in her bathtub two days after her wedding, in the dress she was wearing the night she was married.
CBS 2′s Mai Martinez reports 26-year-old Estrella Carrera was married on Friday, and found stabbed to death in her apartment two days later.
Police said Carrera had been stabbed multiple times. She was wearing the same dress that she had on the night of her wedding, when she was out celebrating with her family.
“Why? Why would you take her from us?” Carrera’s cousin, Sandy Lopez said of whoever killed Carrera. Lopez still can’t believe her cousin is gone.
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“She was a lovely human being, caring, more like a sister to me than a cousin,” Lopez said. “No idea why somebody would do this to her.”
Lopez said, on Friday, Carrera was celebrating with family after marrying her boyfriend of three years.
“She was happy. She was fine. Doing nothing out of the ordinary at all,” Lopez said.
Relatives were watching Carrera’s two children, ages 2 and 9, so the newlyweds could enjoy some time alone on Saturday, but when Carrera didn’t pick up her kids up by Sunday afternoon, a family member called Burbank police to conduct a well-being check.
CBS 2′s Susanna Song reports police discovered Carrera’s body inside her third floor apartment around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. It’s unclear how long she had been dead.
The news shocked and frightened many in her neighborhood.
“I don’t believe she was found in her wedding dress, with stab wounds. That’s just psychotic,” neighbor Robert Louis said.
“It doesn’t happen in our city, at all. So, it’s scary,” neighbor Theresa Wilbanks said.
One neighbor said he saw police at the building, searching for a weapon, around 6 p.m. Sunday.
“I think they were searching the Dumpster in the back, and then they were searching the garbage cans (outside the building), all around the area. And I don’t think they found anything,” Manuel Sanchez said.
Police said the stabbing appeared to be “an isolated incident stemming from a domestic situation,” but have not elaborated. No one was in custody as of Monday afternoon.
Her family said they would like to talk to Carrera’s new husband, but they haven’t been able to reach him.
Meantime, Carrera’s family was focusing on helping her children cope.
“She has two kids that are now going to be devastated from what happened to her, and we just want to bring some closure to our family,” Lopez said.
They family was also searching for answers.
“She’s 26 years old. She still has a life to live,” Lopez said. “It’s unexplainable, the pain my family and I are going through right now.”
The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force was helping Burbank police with the case.
