Aracely Palacio, mother of Lesly Palacio, speaks at a news conference during a fundraiser on East Lake Mead Boulevard Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. Family members of of Lesly Palacio are trying to increase the reward money in an effort to find the people responsible for her murder.
Published Wednesday, May 19, 2021 | 4:16 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, May 19, 2021 | 5:51 p.m.
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More than eight months after Lesly Palacio’s body was recovered near Valley of Fire State Park, the Clark County Coroner’s Office announced it could not determine the cause or manner of death.
An arrest warrant on counts of murder and destroying evidence issued for a longtime acquaintance of Palacio’s family, Erick Michel Rangel-Ibarra, 22, remained active Wednesday, according to Clark County District Court records.
Metro Police have said they believe Rangel-Ibarra and his father fled to Mexico.
The father, Jose Rangel, is facing counts of accessory to murder and destroying evidence in the case, according to court records. He was taken into custody in January by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Diego.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges in March, triggering a jury trial that’s set to begin on June 7, Clark County District Court records show.
Palacio was reported missing after a night out with Rangel-Ibarra in late August. Her remains were found Sept. 9 in the desert near the state park about 45 miles north of Las Vegas, police said.
Clark County prosecutors have said surveillance video showed Rangel-Ibarra and his father loading Palacio’s remains into a pickup truck at their home. Rangel-Ibarra was seen driving away, prosecutors said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
