Woman wanted for murder in connection with disappearance of Fla. roommate apprehended in Conn.
A woman accused of killing her roommate in Florida in 2022 before reporting her missing to police was arrested in Hartford on Wednesday.
Gisselle Victoria-Gonzalez, 42, faces charges of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and grand theft, according to the Orlando Police Department.
The charges stem from the disappearance of 42-year-old Runyleidy Medina-Pacheco, who was reported missing by Victoria-Gonzalez on Dec. 27, 2022, police said. Officers around 1:30 p.m. responded to a residence on Curry Ford Road shared by the victim and Victoria-Gonzalez, the latter of whom said she had not seen Medina-Pacheco since Christmas two days earlier, according to police.
During the investigation, police said they found “numerous inconsistencies in the version of events” described by Victoria-Gonzalez. A search warrant carried out at her then-residence turned up “significant evidence” showing signs indicating a violent incident had occurred, according to police.
An investigation involving law enforcement at the local, state and federal levels found that Victoria-Gonzalez later moved to Hartford. Orlando investigators traveled to Connecticut to conduct an interview with her before developing enough evidence to charge her in Medina-Pacheco’s death, police said.
According to Lt. Aaron Boisvert of the Hartford Police Department, Victoria-Gonzalez was apprehended on Wednesday. Boisvert said Hartford police assisted Orlando investigators with locating and taking her into custody.
According to Connecticut Judicial Branch and Department of Correction records, Victoria-Gonzalez is being held on $1 million bond at the York Correctional Institution in East Lyme while she awaits extradition to Florida. She is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Dec. 6, records show.
“We would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Hartford Police Department for their support in this investigation,” Orlando police said in a statement.
Police said Medina-Pacheco’s body has not been found.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Orlando Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 800-423-TIPS (8477).
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