NEW YORK (AP) — A Queens man was charged Saturday with murdering his live-in girlfriend, the latest twist in a weeklong mystery that began when the slain woman's 4-year-old daughter was found wandering barefoot on a city street.
Cesar Ascarrunz, 32, was arrested on murder charges two days after he was picked up by investigators, police said. Authorities were still searching Saturday for 26-year-old Monica Lozada-Rivaineira's remains.
Police were led to Ascarrunz by a dozen tips that came in from the public after 4-year-old Valery Lozada appeared on television Thursday. The child, with her hair in pigtails, described her mother as looking "like a princess." Police ultimately used records from Valery's day care center to figure out her mother's identity.
"This child has captured the hearts of all New Yorkers," said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. "I hope she can grow up to lead a normal life."
Child welfare officials took the unusual step of putting her on television in the hopes that it would produce more information. Authorities were unable to find her mother since she was discovered crying and shivering on the street in Queens. She told neighbors her father left her there and drove away.