Teen Girl Kidnapped From NJ Killed With Machete In Maryland Woods In MS-13 Hit, Officials Say

UPDATE: According to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office, two of the defendants, Iris Alonzo-Salgado and Roberto Rivera-Delgado, took Sanchez Merino with them to New Jersey while they were on a trip to visit people in the Tri-State area.

Sanchez Merino knew both of them prior to the trip and paid Rivera-Delgado for the ride to New Jersey to visit family.

One night, they left her in New Jersey with her family while they went to New York to spend time with another of the defendants, Aracely Abarca-Melgar. The group of three then went back to New Jersey and picked Sanchez Merino up before taking her back with them to Maryland.

It's not known whether Sanchez Merino knew the other two defendants.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A 24-year-old woman was found guilty after she helped kidnap and murder an 18-year-old from Elizabeth in 2023, according to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office.

The killing was committed under orders of the MS-13 gang, the Attorney's Office said.

Iris Alonzo-Salgado, of Frederick, Maryland, was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and participating in a criminal organization resulting in death.

Alonzo-Salgado was convicted in a Montgomery County Circuit Court bench trial on Nov. 14 after she chose to waive a jury trial.

She now faces two life sentences and an additional 25 years in prison at her sentencing scheduled for Jan. 21, 2026.

Alonzo-Salgado is one of four co-defendants who were charged in the death of Rosa Sanchez Merino, 18, of Montgomery County, Maryland.

In May 2023, the group drove Sanchez Merino from Elizabeth to Olney, Maryland, where they walked her into the woods and "gagged her mouth," authorities said. She was then forced to kneel on the ground as they stabbed her to death with a machete.

Her body was then left in a "freshly dug grave."

On Sept. 30, 2023, Roberto Rivera-Delgado, one of the co-defendants, led Montgomery County Police to a wooded area along Brookeville Road in Olney. He revealed the shallow grave that contained the girl's skeletal remains.

Rivera-Delgado pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and participating in a criminal organization resulting in death. He is yet to be sentenced.

Aracely Abarca-Melgar, the third co-defendant, is awaiting a trial. The fourth co-defendant's identity and case details are being withheld due to their age.

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