News Releases

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Gaithersburg, MD - Two women, one man and a teen are in custody and charged with murder, in connection with the death of 18-year-old Rosa Sanchez Merino.

Roberto Carlos Rivera-Delgado, Iris Yudella Alonzo-Salgado, Aracely Abarca-Melgar and Edwin Alexander Rivas-Salvador are accused of killing Sanchez Merino on or about May 1, 2023, and burying her in a shallow grave in the 3600 block of Brookville Road, in Olney.

Rivera-Delgado was arrested for a parole violation in Nevada and extradited to Maryland on Tuesday, September 29, 2023. The 23-year-old suspect led Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes detectives to the location where Sanchez Merino was buried.

On October 1, 2023, an autopsy of Sanchez Merino was conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the death was ruled a homicide.

Through the course of the investigation, 23-year-old Alonzo-Salgado of Frederick, and 21-year-old Abarca-Melgar of Manchester, NH were identified as suspects involved in Sanchez Merino’s death, and a warrant was requested for their arrest.

On the strength of the warrant Abarca-Melgar was arrested in New York, where she awaits extradition to Montgomery County. 16-year-old Rivas-Salvador was arrested on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, and is being charged as an adult.

All four suspects were charged with first-degree murder. Iris Yudella Alonzo-Salgado, Roberto Carlos Rivera-Delgado and Edwin Alexander Rivas-Salvador have been transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where they are being held without bond.