HOUSTON – On Friday night, family members, friends and members of the Honduran community in Houston held a vigil to pay their respects to Carolina Flores.
On Tuesday, someone stabbed and killed the mother of three and stole her newborn baby.
“It’s very tough and painful for our community,” explained Desman Nunez, who is the pastor of Evangelical Garifuna Church of Houston, on the southwest side of town.
Nunez and others spent the day preparing for Friday’s vigil for Flores.
“We haven’t seen anything happen like that before in our community, I think this is the first case,” said Nunez, in regard to this type of tragedy.
Houston police charged Erika Miranda-Alvarez with capital murder on Thursday after they found Carolina's child, 6-week-old Shamali Flores, inside her southwest Houston apartment.
Investigators said Miranda-Alvarez admitted to going to Flores’ Greenspoint-area apartment on Tuesday. She said the door was open and she found Flores dead on the bedroom floor.
PHOTOS: Who is Carolina Flores?
Court records state Miranda-Alvarez admitted to taking the 6-week-old, Flores’ phone and medical wristbands.
Houston police retrieved the baby Thursday morning. She was unharmed.
A family member said Shamali will stay with a relative, who also has Flores’ 7-year-old and 16-year-old daughters.
They plan on sending Flores’ body back to Honduras so she can be buried in her home country.
The family said it has set up a GoFundMe account to help buy clothing, diapers and food for the baby and her siblings.
Family members, friends and people from the Honduran community are leaning on faith to help cope with the death of Carolina Flores. @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/nBcplf0QzV
— Sophia Beausoleil (@KPRC2SophiaB) December 23, 2017
Martha Castro was a close friend to Flores and has been helping organize the vigil, funeral and fundraisers for the family.
“We in our community have never heard anything like this happen within us, the family is having a very difficult time,” explained Castro. “Carolina has a sister, a brother, children and so we’re just trying to stay very, very close.”
Castro said her cousin is the person who is looking after Flores' three kids, including the 6-month-old recovered on Thursday.
“Thankful she has good health, so she’s doing OK,” said Castro about Shamali.
She said it’s been hard for Flores' older daughters.
“It’s on and off, of course, they’re surrounded by a lot of love and other girls to help with the distractions. And they have their moments, of course, but they’re a really good, solid family and that’s going to help them through this difficult moment,” said Castro.
“She was a nice person, she was a very nice person, a mother of three kids, she loved her kids,” said Keydi Montes, who was also at the vigil.
Montes said she is from the same town as Flores and her brother was married to Flores three years ago.
“I’m still cold, I’m still like, I can’t believe it,” explained Montes about the murder. “It’s heartbreaking.
Imagine three kids going without their mother, I can’t even imagine myself.”
“I’ve described it as a 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' episode, because that’s the best way. It’s crazy, scary, so many different emotions,” said Castro.