The body of 33-year-old Sheylla Gutierrez, also known as Sheylla Lisbet Gutiérrez Rosillo, was discovered in the Angeles National Forest on August 16, 2025, by the Montrose Search and Rescue Team. Her husband, 36-year-old Jossimar Cabrera, has been charged with murder and was recently detained in Peru after fleeing the country with their three children.
The investigation began on August 12 when the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lancaster station received a missing person report for Gutierrez. The following day, deputies discovered surveillance video showing Cabrera dragging a large object wrapped in material from their apartment complex in the 500 block of Lancaster Boulevard, where the family lived with their three young sons.
The video evidence proved crucial to the investigation. A neighbor’s security camera captured footage of Cabrera hauling what appeared to be a heavy, oddly-shaped object wrapped in fabric during the early morning hours of August 12. Investigators later found Gutierrez’s body wrapped in similar material over the side of an embankment in the national forest.
When authorities arrived at the family’s Lancaster home during their investigation, they discovered that Cabrera and the couple’s three children were missing. The children were also entered into the missing persons system as investigators suspected foul play.
Cabrera, a Peruvian national, fled to Peru with the children before his wife’s body was discovered. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that an extradition arrest warrant was filed against him on August 22. He faces one count of murder with allegations of using a knife as a deadly weapon. If convicted, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison.
The three children were found safe in Peru on August 16 and taken into protective custody. They are now with their maternal grandmother. Cabrera was initially detained twice after leaving the United States, once in Mexico and once in Peru, but was released both times because charges had not yet been filed against him.
On August 27, Cabrera surrendered to authorities at the Interpol Lima headquarters in Peru. The Policía Nacional del Perú confirmed he was being held in preventive detention under a Red Notice. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was notified by the Consulate General of Peru that the murder suspect had been taken into custody.
According to authorities, the extradition process is expected to take several months, and Cabrera will remain in Peruvian custody during that time. Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant Michael Modica indicated that investigators are working on obtaining the necessary documents to bring him back to the United States to face charges.
Family members revealed disturbing details about the couple’s relationship during interviews with Peruvian media. Gutierrez’s mother, Helga Rocillo, told Latina Noticias that her daughter was a victim of domestic violence and that Cabrera abused her both physically and verbally. Rocillo also reported that Cabrera had slapped their youngest grandchild, who is three years old.
The victim’s family stated that Cabrera provided conflicting accounts of his wife’s whereabouts when she was reported missing. Initially, he claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had taken her. Later, he alleged that she had left with another man, and in a third version, he said she had suffered an accident.
Rocillo revealed that she had spoken with her daughter via video call just days before she was reported missing. During that conversation, Gutierrez told her mother that “she was going to report her husband for domestic violence.” This aligns with Rocillo’s claims that her daughter had previously reported Cabrera for domestic violence while they were living in Peru.
The Cabrera family had immigrated to the United States from Peru seeking a better life, according to Peruvian news outlets. Both were originally from Peru before moving to Lancaster, where they lived with their three sons in the apartment complex on Lancaster Boulevard.
A cause of death has not yet been established and remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. The case is being handled as a homicide.
Community members held vigils in Lancaster following the discovery, with friends and neighbors carrying signs reading “Justice for Sheylla” and “Not one more.” Those who knew Gutierrez described her as an unconditional friend, loving mother, and hard worker who did not have family in the United States.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continues to work with Peruvian authorities to facilitate Cabrera’s extradition to face murder charges in California. The department’s homicide investigators had coordinated with both Mexican and Peruvian consular officials during their search for the suspect.