The 19-year-old man charged with fatally stabbing his coworker at Difficult Run Park in Great Falls has given detectives a full confession, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis announced at a Wednesday, Aug. 19, press conference.

Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos armed himself with a fixed-blade knife, black latex gloves and a water bottle filled with gasoline siphoned from his motorcycle before meeting Carmen Lizet Puch, 42, of Reston, at the Georgetown Pike park early Monday, Aug. 17, according to WTOP. Restaurant surveillance video captured him gathering the items from the kitchen where both worked.

"We have video footage of our suspect at the restaurant where he worked with our victim arming himself with a fixed-blade knife, taking a pair of black latex gloves, taking a water bottle and then off he goes with the intent to do harm and kill the victim," Davis said, calling the footage "eerie."

Davis said Cedillos-Campos repeatedly stabbed Puch while she sat in the driver's seat of her 2011 Honda Civic, then doused her in gasoline and tried to set her on fire. The attempt to burn her was unsuccessful. Her body was found outside the vehicle.

A runner on a nearby trail called 911 at 6:43 a.m. Aug. 17 after spotting Puch in the parking lot. Officers from the FCPD's McLean District Station responded first. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police described Puch and Cedillos-Campos as coworkers at an area restaurant who were involved in an "intimate relationship." They met at the park intentionally, Davis said.

Arrest and charges

The FCPD's Fugitive Tracking and Apprehension Team, working with Prince George's County Police and the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested Cedillos-Campos without incident Wednesday morning in Lanham, Maryland, less than 48 hours after Puch was found, according to an FCPD press release.

He is charged with second-degree murder but Davis said a first-degree or aggravated murder charge remains possible, depending on what detectives and prosecutors with the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office decide.

FCPD Assistant Chief of Investigations Rachel Levy, who also spoke at the press conference, said Cedillos-Campos "left work after taking a large, fixed-blade knife... and he set off to murder Carmen Puch."

Cedillos-Campos is being held at the Prince George's County jail awaiting extradition to Fairfax County. No extradition date has been announced.

Immigration detainer

The Department of Homeland Security said Cedillos-Campos, an El Salvador native, entered the United States through Texas in April 2024, was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and subsequently released, Patch reported. ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Aug. 19. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin called on Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Fairfax County officials to cooperate with ICE. Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid has not commented publicly on the case.

Remembering Puch

Davis described Puch as "a loving mother" of a 3-year-old girl who is being cared for by family members. Coworkers told 7News DC she was someone who constantly talked about her daughter and the future she wanted to build for her. Her family has asked for privacy.

Investigators are still looking into a black sedan seen on Georgetown Pike surveillance footage around the time of the killing. Police have not ruled out a second person being involved but say there is currently no evidence of that.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FCPD's Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 2, or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS or at fairfaxcrimesolvers.org. Anonymous tipsters are eligible for a cash reward.