Victorville Woman Who Murdered Husband Caught In Mexico: Sheriff

VICTORVILLE, CA — A Victorville mother of two accused of murdering her husband in 2015 has been caught in Mexico, authorities said.

In May 2015, Antoine Smith, 35, was reported missing after multiple people said they hadn't heard from him. Friends and co-workers became increasingly concerned after receiving text messages from his cellphone number that didn't sound like him, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Office said.

A missing persons report was filed May 11, 2015, and authorities conducted a welfare check at the home he shared with his wife, Leticia Smith, and their two daughters, ages 8 and 4. Inside, officers found Antoine Smith dead in a bedroom. He was shot multiple times.

Investigators later identified Leticia Smith as the suspect who pulled the trigger. But authorities were unable to find her, and evidence indicated she fled to Mexico with their children. She reportedly has dual citizenship and may have moved between the U.S. and Mexico.

The cold case was reportedly featured on two episodes of "In Pursuit with John Walsh."

In December, cold case investigators worked with authorities in Mexico and found she was living in Rosarito, a resort town on the country's Baja California peninsula. The town is a popular beach destination for Americans.

Authorities said Monday they arrested Leticia Smith without incident on an extraditable warrant for her husband's killing. Their children were found safe.

On March 4, the U.S. Marshals Service took custody of Leticia from Mexican authorities. She was taken into custody in the U.S. by the sheriff’s office.

Leticia Smith was held at the West Valley Detention Center on $2 million bail.

At the time, her mother told KNBC-TV that Leticia Smith felt trapped in an unhappy marriage. Neighbors told the TV station the couple constantly fought.

"My heart almost stopped (when I discovered he was dead)," Stacee Harold told the TV station at the time. "Because they haven’t seen him and the last time I saw him it was a fight … I could be the last one to see this person if anything has happened to him."