Murder suspect detained in Peru; wife's body was found dumped in Angeles National Forest

Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times on Aug 27, 2025

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LOS ANGELES — A husband accused of killing his wife and dumping her body in the Angeles National Forest before fleeing the country with their children has been detained in Peru, officials announced Wednesday.

Jossimar Cabrera, 36, who investigators believe fled to Peru after the death of his wife, Sheylla Cabrera, surrendered to authorities in Lima, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department news release. The Sheriff's Department was notified by the Consulate General of Peru on Wednesday that Cabrera is being held in Peruvian custody.

It's expected to take several months to extradite Cabrera to the U.S. and he will remain in detention during that time, authorities said.

The remains of 33-year-old Sheylla Cabrera, also known as Sheylla Lisbet Gutiérrez Rosillo, were found in the national forest Aug. 16 by the Montrose Search and Rescue Team, according to a statement from the Sheriff's Department.

Jossimar Cabrera was charged with one count of murder, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Prosecutors have not said how his wife was killed.

On Aug. 12, the Sheriff's Department Lancaster station took a missing persons report on Sheylla, officials said. The next day, authorities found surveillance video of Jossimar Cabrera appearing to be dragging a large object from the apartment complex in the 500 block of Lancaster Boulevard, where the couple lived with their three young sons.

Officials suspected foul play and homicide investigators began conducting their investigation, according to authorities. The couple's three children were also entered into the missing persons system.

On Aug. 16 in the Angeles National Forest, authorities found the missing woman's body wrapped in material that appeared similar to what was seen being dragged in the video, though the department didn't specify what the material was. A cause of death has not yet been established and is being investigated by the L.A. County medical examiner's office, authorities said.

Jossimar Cabrera fled the country with the couple's three children, the Sheriff's Department said. On Aug. 16, the children were found safe and taken into protective custody in Peru.

Cabrera was detained twice after leaving the country — once in Mexico and once in Peru — but was released because he hadn't yet been charged with a crime, according to Lt. Michael Modica, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department.

The Cabreras are originally from Peru and immigrated to the U.S. in search of a better life, according to Peruvian news outlet Latina Noticias.

Helga Rocillo, Sheylla Cabrera's mother, told the publication that Sheylla was a victim of domestic violence and that Jossimar abused her physically and verbally. Rocillo also said that Jossimar told her that his wife had been taken by U.S. immigration authorities.

Rocillo told the outlet that she spoke with her daughter on a video call a few days before she was reported missing. Sheylla told her that she was going to report her husband for domestic violence, Rocillo said.