SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating a homicide after they believe they found the body of a woman who was carjacked at gunpoint.
Video of an armed gunman approaching her vehicle last Thursday was taken an hour and 45 minutes before deputies found a body in a burning car in Osceola County.
As the investigation continues, there are many questions about what happened and why.
Below is the timeline of events on April 11.
12 p.m.
Sheriff Dennis Lemma said Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas left Homestead just after noon and started driving to Seminole County. Her vehicle was seen driving northbound through Jupiter during her trip.
3:30-4:00 p.m.
Aguasvivas arrives in Seminole County on Interstate 4, according to the sheriff’s office. She stopped to pump gas at a Shell station located just south of State Road 436 and U.S. Highway 17-92 and stayed for approximately eight minutes. Deputies said she left there and drove through Casselberry on Button Road, and continued to drive on back roads until she arrived in the Winter Springs area.
About a half mile before the intersection of East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road, Sheriff Lemma says Aguasvivas noticed a green Acura was behind her before it rammed into her vehicle. At that time, her husband told deputies she called him and told him what happened.
“She picked up the phone and called her husband, told her husband that she was being rammed, that there was somebody there that was following her,” Sheriff Lemma said. “The husband provided her with the advice: Don’t stop, don’t stop anywhere.”
Law enforcement is not aware of any reports that Aguasvivas or her husband called 911 for help.
BEFORE 6 p.m.
A witness driving behind Aguasvivas’ white Dodge Durango saw the armed carjacking and recorded cell phone video of the event. It shows a masked man approaching the driver’s window and pointing a gun at her. He then gets into the back seat while the vehicle is still stopped at a red light.
Deputies believe the suspect had gotten out of the green Acura that was following Aguasvivas, Sheriff Lemma said Friday.
Both cars are seen on camera making a U-turn at the intersection.
Lemma said a passenger in the witness’s car called 911 to notify law enforcement.
Detectives suspect Aguasvivas was ordered at gunpoint to turn around again and head southbound on Tuskawilla Road toward the Seminole/Orange County line to Aloma Ave.
“Once they get to Aloma, they make a left. They go all the way across all lanes of traffic so they can get on State Road 417 southbound,” Lemma said. “They drive southbound on 417, likely getting off at the Narcoossee Road exit. They travel the back roads, ultimately turning off onto Boggy Creek Road in Osceola County.”
APPROXIMATELY 7 p.m.
Witnesses in Osceola County reported hearing gunshots and seeing smoke from a vehicle fire. Lemma said the car was badly damaged, and a body was found inside it. Authorities believe it is Aguasvivas.
They also found shell casings from a gun on the ground, investigators said Friday.
Detectives are working to find out when the suspects in the green Acura started trailing Aguasvivas and why she was in Seminole County.
Sheriff Lemma said this was not a random incident, and he believes the suspects knew exactly who they were following. Why they targeted Aguasvivas is still unclear.
“There’s a lot of unknowns, a lot of things that will leave people scratching their head, and I think the biggest is why?” Lemma said. “This isn’t a random incident. They were ramming the car half a mile before that intersection.”
Lemma told News 6 Aguasvivas spent less than an hour in Seminole County, and his deputies have no knowledge of her or the suspects living, doing business, or being in the county prior to this incident.
Her husband told deputies she was here to visit family, according to the sheriff’s office. Lemma said they have not been able to find any relatives in the area so far.
“There’s no criminal history here for either Katherine or her husband in the United States. There is no clear indicator why somebody would do this,” Lemma said.
Aguasvivas and her husband have two businesses, a barber shop and beauty salon, in South Florida, according to the sheriff’s office.
The investigation is ongoing, and the suspects and green Acura are still out there.
“We’re incredibly concerned about that Acura,” said Sheriff Lemma. “Both occupants should be considered armed and dangerous.”
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